


Operation: GALACSIA

by Gamewizard2008



Series: Kids Next Door Gameverse [1]
Category: Codename: Kids Next Door, Invader Zim, Mario Story | Paper Mario, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, GKND, Galactic Kids Next Door, Magic, Sci-Fi, Stars, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-12
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-31 00:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 152,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8556178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamewizard2008/pseuds/Gamewizard2008
Summary: The very first story of the multi-crossover Gameverse Saga, Operation: GALACSIA, and the first of the Benders' Dawn Saga. This is also called the Galaxia Arc. Set 3 months after the ending of Codename: Kids Next Door, Nigel Uno goes on missions for the GKND as they battle the Irken Empire. Their goal is to find the Seven Star Pieces and repair the Star Rod. Still, Nigel regrets his decision to leave Earth, and his new Supreme Leader may have other plans.





	1. Prologue: A New Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jirachi loves playing with his friends on Planet Wisp. But one day, disaster strikes...

**Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Gamewizard2008. It is with great honor that I welcome you to the Kids Next Door Gameverse. The Gameverse is an ongoing fanfiction crossover series that I have created, and this is the very first story, _Operation: GALACSIA_. While it is a crossover series, it is heavily centered around the cartoon series _Codename: Kids Next Door_. This first story, for instance, takes place three months after the _KND_ finale, _Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S._ , so if you haven’t seen that, you may be a bit confused. But mark my words, once you’re deep into the Gameverse, you’ll be on the most exciting ride of your life. Let the multi-crossover begin.**

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Prologue: A New Order

_**

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_For as long as we can remember, kids have been at war against the adults. To this day, people have wondered how all this began. Some say the adults were created by kids to be their slaves, but ended up rebelling. Some say the adults rose from a dark netherworld just to enslave us. But the true story dates back near the beginning of time when our very universe was still in the making. It all began when a terrible cataclysm befell a once peaceful planet in a distant galaxy. A planet formerly known as: Wisp._

On a large, green planet in a distant galaxy, fields of grass and flowers of many colors covered the land. Trees as tall as skyscrapers reached to the sky. Somewhere in this field, strange, alien children with small tentacles appeared to be playing a game of tag. One of these aliens had one eye, and an oval shaped body. One was cyan colored, and had a round shaped body. One was dark blue and had a cube shaped body, while the other was yellow with a triangle shaped body and one eye. Each of these aliens were only as tall as one-year-olds.

The last of these creatures was unlike the group of aliens. It had a snow white body with a star-shaped head. The star on its head was yellow and had small, blue ribbons on three of the star’s points. The star child wore a small cape that was cut in half and appeared to have no ears or nose. The center of its body had a black, crescent shaped line.

Each of these children were floating in mid-air. Right now, they were trying to evade the light-blue alien, who appeared to be “it.” “Hurry! He’s gaining on us!” said the cyan-colored alien as they were flying away from the light blue alien.

“Hey, guys, wait for me!” said the star-headed child, who was falling behind. The light blue alien flew as fast as lightning trying to tag the star kid.

“Give it up, Jirachi. No one escapes from me! I can fly 74.239 times faster than a regular Wisp!” said the light blue Wisp in a rather nerdy sounding voice. As he said this, the light blue Wisp closed in, and Jirachi was tagged before he knew it. The Wisps began to fly in many different directions to avoid being tagged by Jirachi. Jirachi’s ribbons then began to glow white, and the light blue alien appeared before his eyes, allowing Jirachi to tag him back.

“Hey, no fair, Jirachi! You can’t use magic to cheat in tag!”

“Says who? I’m the Star God! Maker of wishes! I can do whatever I want!”

“Just because you’re the Star God, you think you’re the supreme ruler of the universe!”

“I do not! Just the supreme ruler of Galaxia.”

“Well, you’re not!”

“Oh, lighten up, Gabe. Let him have his fun.” said the dark-blue Wisp with a Jamaican sounding accent. “Besides, it’s not like we’ll be doing this for long, anyway.”

“Yeah.” said the cyan Wisp. “The Star Spirits say he only has two more days until he has go back to sleep for another century.”

Jirachi’s happy expression turned into a sad one upon hearing this.

“Uh… sorry about that.” the cyan Wisp said.

“It’s okay.” replied Jirachi.

“But it’s so not fair!” said the yellow Wisp. “How come you have to be trapped in that boring old rock for 100 years and only be awake for seven days?”

“The Star Spirits say it’s for my own health.”

“Oh, come on!” replied Gabe. “What’s the worst that could happen if you stay awake one day longer than you’re supposed to?”

“I don’t know. But what the spirits say goes, I guess. Let’s just enjoy the time we have while it lasts!” said Jirachi, his frown becoming a smile again.

As the Wisps and Jirachi were about to continue their game of tag, they were interrupted by the screaming of other Wisps. Jirachi and his Wisp friends noticed a rather tall and monstrous figure in the distance. “Let’s go see.” Jirachi said as he and his Wisp friends flew toward the monstrous figure. When they finally arrived, they gaped at the sight of the monster.

The monster was at least 5 stories tall. It had a blue upper body and a red, furry lower body. It had yellow eyes, brown hair and beard, a devil tail, and yellow horns. It looked somewhat like a minotaur, except for the human shaped nose. The sky began to fill with red clouds that swirled around unleashing legions of demonic figures. “Yes!” The demon spoke. “Run you insolent bugs! The sight of your misery gives me the fuel I need to run my glorious Underworld!”

“Hey, ugly!” shouted Jirachi to the demon. “What do you think you’re doing to Planet Wisp?”

“How dare you address me in such a way.” remarked the demon. “I am the all powerful king of the Underworld, Malladus! And I plan to destroy this filthy race, so that my River of Souls will have enough water to last an afterlife! And YOU: you’re Jirachi, the Star God. With your power, I’ll have no trouble in establishing my EVIL dominion!”

“Like I’d ever help you, MallaDOOFUS!”

“Then you will perish along with the rest of this planet!”

“Run for it, guys!” As he said this, Malladus fired rays of heat from his eyes. Jirachi and his Wisp friends split in different directions, trying to avoid the demon’s heat vision. Malladus focused on burning only Jirachi, but several other Wisps were burned trying to protect the young Star God.

“Jirachi!” shouted the dark-blue Wisp. “We’ll hold off Malladus! You need to get out of here!”

“But what about you guys?”

“We’ll be fine! You need to find someplace safe!” Jirachi hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to teleport away, noticing the oncoming heat ray.

**Star Haven**

Jirachi reappeared on a floating, blue, star-shaped island somewhere in outer space. The island sprouted trees with star shaped leaves and was inhabited by star-shaped children. A river ran through the center of this island with water so clear, it looked almost like a mirror. The river seemed to be coming from a nearby shrine. Jirachi flew to said shrine, which had a round fountain making all the clear, reflective water.

There was a pedestal on the top of the fountain which held a rod with a glowing star on top. Surrounding the fountain were seven star beings that appeared to be meditating. The first star was male and had a white mustache. The second was dark yellow, female, and had a pink bow tie on its head. The third was light purple, male, had a brown mustache, and glasses. The fourth was male, wore a sailor’s cap, and was light blue. The fifth was female, had a yellow ribbon go around its body, and was bright pink. The sixth was male, had a bowtie on its chest, and carried a book, and the seventh was male and had a black mustache.

“Star Spirits! Star Spirits!” shouted Jirachi, entering the shrine. “There’s a monster attacking Planet Wisp!”

The Star Spirits turned their attention to Jirachi as he came in screaming. “A monster, you say?” asked the mustached star. “Let’s have a look at this, shall we?” And with that, the water began glowing and showed a vision of Malladus burning the planet to the ground. “Oh, I KNEW that Malladus was nothing but trouble.” said the mustached star.

“What do we do?” asked Jirachi.

“Don’t fear, Jirachi. We, stars, are just as strong as Malladus is. If you use your true eye to combine your power with the Star Rod, you may be able to silence him.” And with that, Jirachi closed his eyes and the crescent shape that was on his stomach opened to reveal a big, blue eye. A laser shot from the eye and connected to the Star Rod. Jirachi’s body then began to glow.

**Planet Wisp**

“Jirachi! Where are you?” inquired Malladus as he continued burning the landscape.

“Hey, Hothead!” Malladus turned to notice the young Star God hovering above him, his eyes closed.

“Last chance, Jirachi: Either you join me, or taste the full wrath of-” Malladus paused mid-sentence as Jirachi opened his true eye and fired a storm of shooting stars from his eye at the fierce demon. “H-Hey! W-What are you doing?”

“Sending you back where you came from!” The fierce demon screamed as he was bombarded by the barrage of stars. Within an instant, a giant star lit up on the ground around Malladus. Giant chains rose from the star and tied around Malladus. The chains then began to pull him into the star.

“NO! This cannot be! RRROOOAAARRGH!” Malladus screamed as he was dragged down into the star, which then disappeared revealing only the ground it appeared on. Jirachi’s eyes closed as he fainted and fell to the ground.

**Hours later…**

“Hey! Jirachi! Get up!”

Jirachi awakened to find the light and dark blue Wisps hovering above him. “Gabe? Jeremy? What happened? Where’s Malladus?”

“Malladus is locked somewhere in the Underworld.” said the dark-blue Wisp, Jeremy. “You did quite a number on him. And yourself. You’ve been out for about a day.”

“Where’s all the other Wisps?”

“As far as we can tell,” replied Gabe, “we’re the only ones left.”

Jirachi got up and looked around to see, not only was there not a Wisp in sight, the entire landscape had burned. All the grass and trees that once flourished had been reduced to ash from Malladus’s attack. “No. Oh no…” Jirachi broke down and cried a waterfall of tears at the sight of the ruined planet.

“Hey, calm down, Jirachi. It’s not SO bad!” Gabe said, trying to comfort his star friend.

“What are you talking? It’s a disaster!” shouted Jeremy.

“Dude, why are you so negative all the time?” shot back Gabe.

“Why are you so incompetent all the time?”

“Incompetent? I have a brain that’s 74.239 times bigger than a normal Wisp!”

“Why do you like that number so much?”

“Because it’s cool! It’s better than saying ‘infinity’ all the time! That’s not even a real number!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“That’s enough, you two!” The two arguing Wisps turned their attention to the seven Star Spirits hovering above them.

“He started it!” shouted Gabe pointing at Jeremy, who had an annoyed look on his face.

The Star Spirits flew over to the crying Jirachi when the mustached star spoke, “Now, Jirachi, there’s no need to overreact.”

“Still,” said the female star with a bowtie, “Planet Wisp was one of the most beautiful planets in Galaxia. And Jirachi really liked it here.”

“If only there was something we can do.” said the pink star.

“Can’t you guys use the Star Rod to, like, restore this place or something?” Gabe asked.

“We could”, replied the mustached star, “but both Jirachi and the Star Rod lost quite a bit of power imprisoning Malladus. The two of them can only be powered by granting wishes. We can lend the last of our power to Jirachi, but we don’t have time to wait for enough wishes to completely revitalize the Star Rod before Jirachi has to go back to sleep. And we’ll need the powers of both to restore this planet.”

“Isn’t there a way to restore it faster?” Gabe asked.

The mustached star stood, er, floated and thought for a moment. “Mamar:” he said to the female bowtied star, “send for the Nightmare King. We can use his power and mix it with the Galaxia Sword.”

The star, Mamar, had a worried expression. “But Eldstar, are you sure that’s a good idea? He’s called the ‘Nightmare King’ for a reason, you know. How do we know we can trust him to help?”

“You don’t trust me? You’re hurting my feelings.” The Stars, Jirachi, and the two Wisps looked around to see where the dark, sinister voice had come from. Out of nowhere, a black shadowy figure popped up, scaring Jirachi and the Wisps. It had skinny arms with three fingers on his hands, and black, ghostly flames coming out of his shoulders. His head looked like a small, skinny, white flame with one blue eye on the bottom of it. His body looked like a ripped cloak and a red torso around its head.

“Darkrai!” exclaimed Eldstar. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard that my good friend, Malladus was in town, so I thought I’d pay a visit. Then I found these two Wisps trying to wake up Jirachi, so I thought I’d hang around here in shadow until something happens. I’d be happy to lend my power. No charge.”

“You…You will?”

“But first, what are the chances Malladus won’t just come back and burn this place to ash, again? The reason the Wisps were so powerless before him is because they didn’t have the mind to take care of themselves. They are all just children.”

“What do you propose to do, Darkrai?”

“Simple: along with children, we need adults!”

“What are adults?” asked Jirachi.

“Adults are like us, Jirachi.” answered Mamar. “The same way we watch over and protect you, they care for their own children.”

“How come I’ve never seen them?”

“Because you have yet to see other regions of the universe. In other regions, not everyone are eternally young like the Wisps. Some beings grow older and taller, and they take responsibility to guide the young ones.”

“They sound boring!”

“Yes,” replied the Nightmare King, “but in the future, you’ll need them for your survival. They’ll pretty much be the almighty rulers of the universe.”

“But it’s not like they’ll enslave you or anything.” said Mamar. “They just want to keep you out of trouble.”

“Well, if it means saving Planet Wisp, then I guess I’ll do it.”

“Excellent!” exclaimed Nightmare, “Now, let’s head back to the Star Sanctuary.”

**Star Haven**

Jirachi was levitating above the Fountain of Dreams, his eyes closed. The Star Spirits had lent him their power. The Nightmare King and Eldstar came drifting into the shrine carrying swords. Nightmare held a silver sword with a black and yellow handle with a strange face. Eldstar held a pure golden sword with a red emblem on its handle. The edges of the sword looked spiky, like lightning bolts.

“With the combined power of my Nightmare Sword with Galaxia,” explained Darkrai, “we should be able to restore the Star Rod back to full power.”

“Then let’s do it.” said Eldstar as he and Darkrai raised their swords and stuck them into the Star Rod’s pedestal.

The shrine began to quake and tremble as Nightmare spoke: “O Great Star Rod! Hear that which I desire: Restore Planet Wisp back to its former glory. Bring the children that once ran through its fields back to life, as well as tall and mature beings that will watch over and protect them from harm!”

Once Darkrai finished, Jirachi opened his true eye and a beam connected him and the Star Rod. A beam of light shot from the shrine and headed straight for Planet Wisp. The beam created an explosion of light as it hit the planet. Once the explosion cleared, the ruin that was once there was replaced by the vegetation and Wisp children that once covered the planet. The planet was back to its old self with one minor difference: green aliens with red, bulgy eyes and black antennas covered the land as well. Some of them were short, while others were tall.

Once the light beam faded completely, Darkrai spoke, “The green creatures are the result of the nightmare power added to the Star Rod. They shouldn’t be too much trouble, but you may need to explain the duties to the tall ones. Those are the adults. I need to get back to building my glorious city. You all should come and see Nightmare Land once it’s finished.”

“Thanks for your help, Darkrai!” exclaimed the pink star.

“Don’t thank me yet, Misstar. As you stars may know, wishes tend to backfire.” And with that, Nightmare took off into the starry sky.

The Star Spirits turned to see Jirachi exhausted from using so much power. “Are you all right, Jirachi?” asked Eldstar.

“I…I think so.” replied the young Star God.

“I think it’s time for you to go to sleep.”

“But I don’t want to go back in that rock!”

“Don’t worry, Jirachi!” said his good friend, Gabe. “We’ll be here when you wake up 100 years later. Wisps live a pretty long time!”

“Promise?”

This time, Jeremy spoke: “We promise.”

Jirachi smiled at this and closed his eyes. The two halves of his cape wrapped around his body and began to glow. In an instant, a purple stone appeared around Jirachi’s body and sealed him inside. “Sleep well, young Jirachi.” Eldstar said as the glow from the rock slowly faded.

**100 years later…**

At long last, the 100 years of sleeping for Jirachi were finally over. The young Star God awakened from his rock with a happy expression. He was dying to see his two best friends again. As well as the newly revitalized Planet Wisp after 100 years. “I can’t wait to see how the planet looks, now!” Jirachi exclaimed as his ribbons glowed, and he teleported away.

**Planet Wisp**

When Jirachi reappeared back on Planet Wisp, what he saw surprised him greatly. Instead of the miles of grass and trees that covered the planet, there were factories producing smoke that covered the sky. The green creatures that resulted from the revitalization process were now in red soldier-like uniforms, standing guard at various areas. The tall ones, the “adults,” were using vacuum-like contraptions to suck in fleeing Wisps. As Jirachi continued to look around, he was spotted by two child aliens.

“Hey, you!” one the aliens said. “All Wisps are supposed to be going to the weapon factories, pronto!”

“Dude!” the other alien said. “That’s no Wisp! That’s Jirachi, the Star God!”

“What? Hey, that IS Jirachi!”

“The Almighty Tallest is going to be happy to see you!”

“Now, wait just a second!” yelled Jirachi, “I wanna know what the heck is going on here!”

“Shut up! You’re in no position to speak, Brat!” As he spoke, the aliens took out rods with electricity at one end and zapped Jirachi, stunning him. “Come on! We’re taking you to the Tallest.”

**Irken Factory**

The two soldiers dragged Jirachi with an electric net of some sorts through the halls of a factory. As they went, Jirachi peeked inside open rooms that were holding Wisps in cylindrical containers. He certainly hoped Gabe and Jeremy were okay. At long last, they arrived at an enormous door with a symbol that looked like the face of most of the adult aliens he’s seen around. He noticed that this symbol was in several places around the planet as well.

The soldiers dragged Jirachi through the big door and entered a throne room. Sitting on the throne was a buff-looking alien dressed in black and white armor, holding a golden scepter with the aliens’ symbol on it. “Well, well, well,” the alien spoke, “what have we here? If it isn’t the little bratty Star God.”

“Alright, who are you, and what have you done to Planet Wisp?” asked an angered Jirachi.

“First of all, there is no more Planet Wisp! As the new, self-proclaimed ruler of this planet, I—Emperor Irk, have decided to rename this in the name of the irritation we adults have had to suffer with these brats! It is now Planet Irk!”

“What irritation? What did the Wisps ever do to you? I thought the Star Spirits said you were supposed to take care of children, not enslave them!”

“We were. The Star Spirits explained our duties to take care of these kids and show them right from wrong, and we went with it. But that BEFORE we knew how annoying they were! They don’t listen to a thing we tell them, they’re uncivilized, EVERY one of them! So we decided, ‘Why should we have to put up with this? Why should we care for these ungrateful brats when the spirits made US to be in charge of them?’ So, instead of letting them have their pitiful, carefree, chaotic lives, we decided to bring a little order to their souls. And thus, the mighty Irken Empire was born!”

“But what are you doing with the Wisps?” Jirachi asked.

“After enslaving the children of our planet, we figured, why stop there? Our planet may not be the only one with snot-nosed brats. So, we plan to spread our glorious adulthood to the rest of the children of the universe, and the Wisps provide a great energy source for doing so. But with the power of Jirachi by my side, we’ll be unstoppable!”

“There’s no way I’m helping you!” Jirachi shot back as he tried, but failed, to escape from his electric net.

“Fight back as much as you want, but I-”

“SIR!” shouted a panicked Irken soldier as he burst into the room. “W-We have a small problem with the Wisps!”

“What is it, Splork?”

“Well, some of the Wisps were resisting, so we zapped them with our, uhh…zappy thingies, and when we did, they turned all-” But before he could finish, a pack of dark purple Wisps with horns, sharp teeth, and no eyes burst into the room, tackled Irk and his soldiers, and chewed Jirachi’s net, allowing him to escape. Emperor Irk finally shook all the dark Wisps off of him and shouted to his soldiers, “Don’t just stand there, you fools! GET HIM!”

“Gabe! Jeremy! Where are you?” Jirachi flew through the halls of the colossal factory, looking for his two friends, hoping they were still alive.

“Jirachi! Over here!” Jirachi turned to one of the containers and noticed Gabe and Jeremy squished in with the other Wisps. Gabe wasn’t too hard to tell apart from other Wisps, seeing as how he was one of the few who had freckles.

Jirachi’s ribbons glowed and fired three stars at their container, destroying it. Soon afterwards they were surrounded by Irken soldiers. “C’mon! Let’s get to Star Haven!” And with that, Jirachi warped the three of them away, avoiding the oncoming gunfire.

**Star Haven**

When they reappeared at the Star Sanctuary, Jirachi instantly rushed in to tell the Star Spirits what happened. “Star Spirits! Those green adult guys have taken over Wisp!”

The leading spirit, Eldstar, knew something was up. “Darkrai! I knew he would pull something like this! Any creation of his is nothing but trouble!”

“So, what do we do now?” asked Jirachi.

“Gee, I don’t know. Oh, wait! I’ve got it! Why not surrender?” As the voice of Emperor Irk was heard, the walls of the shrine were blown to pieces. Once the smoke cleared, the adult emperor stepped in and glared at the fountain. “Ah… the Fountain of Dreams. Water made up of the hopes, dreams, and wishes throughout the universe, and the source of life for all star beings. Powered by none other than the great Star Rod, which grants those wishes. With its power, I will have no trouble in controlling Jirachi and spreading my adult tyranny!”

“Just what makes you think you’ll be able to control Jirachi?” shouted Gabe.

“Because, you idiot, the Star Rod is a part of Jirachi! Whoever holds the rod gets control of Jirachi, along with the wishes! And now it’s all mine!” As Irk attempted to run up and grab the Star Rod, he was held back by a swarm of star kids. “Hey! Get off me you pathetic pieces of confetti!”

“We can’t risk him getting the Star Rod.” said Eldstar. “There’s only one thing we can do.”

“But Eldstar! If we do THAT, then Jirachi might-” began Misstar.

“Jirachi will be fine. We can’t risk losing it to Irk. Open the secret room.” At his command, Misstar flew to the Star Rod and tilted it like a lever. In an instant, the fountain stopped its flowing and moved to the side, revealing a secret room. Eldstar flew down into the room, which rested the Galaxia Sword on a star-shaped pedestal. He drew the sword from its pedestal and brought it back up to the shrine. He floated by the Star Rod and held the sword in a way he was about to swing it.

Emperor Irk shook off the Star Kids in time to see this. “Hey, wait! What are you doing?” Before he could react, Eldstar swung the sword at the Star Rod, shattering it into seven different colored stars, which began to fly in different directions. “NOOOO!” Emperor Irk screamed as he tried to grab one of the stars, but failed. While he was doing this, the river that was created by the fountain dried up in seconds flat.

Jirachi’s body began to fade to a darker color, and he fell to the ground. Gabe and Jeremy rushed over to see what was wrong. While Jeremy felt his head looking for a fever, Eldstar rushed over. “There isn’t much time! Hurry! You two must take the Star Ship and take Jirachi somewhere safe!” After saying this, a small, blue boat with rockets, a glass dome, and a star painted on the front rose up from the ground.

“But what about Jirachi?” exclaimed Gabe. “He’s not looking too well.”

“Jirachi will be okay, as long as he is with you two. For right now, you must take Jirachi as far away from Irk as possible.” And with that, Gabe and Jeremy carried Jirachi into the ship, which then shot off into the sky.

Emperor Irk watched as it took off and turned his attention to the Star Spirits. “You may have delayed my conqueration for now, Star Spirits, but mark my words: with or without the Star Rod, I will not rest until every little brat in this universe has achieved glorious adulthood. Even if it takes me a kajillion years!” And with a maniacal laughter, Emperor Irk boarded his nearby ship and took off.

Once he was gone, the Star Spirits stared at the dried up fountain with sad expressions. “Without the Star Rod, there is nothing to make the fountain flow.” said Mamar.

“Now, now, Mamar.” said Eldstar. “Just because the Star Rod is gone, doesn’t mean the wishes are. As long as people in the universe have hope, the fountain will indeed flow. Though not quite as strong.”

“But what about Jirachi? If he isn’t in his rock by his appointed time, he may be in great danger.” said the light-blue star.

“As long as Jirachi has his friends, he will be fine. But…” Eldstar paused in his sentence, getting curious glares from the other Star Spirits. “…wherever they end up, I hope they are in good hands.”

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**Now loading…  
Kids Next Door mission…**

 **Operation:  
G.A.L.A.C.S.I.A.**

 **Great  
Almighty  
Leaders  
Attempt  
Conqueration  
So  
Immortality  
Arises**

**Loading transmission…**

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**Well, that’s finally it for the prologue. Next time, the real story begins. In case you don’t know, the Star Spirits come from _Paper Mario_ , along with Star Haven, the Dream Fountain and the Galaxia Sword are from _Kirby_ , Jirachi and Darkrai are from _Pokémon_ , the Wisps are from _Sonic Colors_ , Malladus is from _Zelda: Spirit Tracks_ , and the Irkens are from _Invader Zim_. (But I came up with Emperor Irk.) Later.**


	2. New Friends, New Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel meets his new friend, Ava, as they set off for Planet Flora! Meanwhile, Sector V struggles against a new villain.

**Alright, me hearties, it’s time we began the true story. Just to be clear, I own nothing nor no one no–how. (Except a few OCs.) Anyway, before we get further, I’m going to treat this story like sort of a videogame, ’cause I like to try new stuff like that. In other words, characters fighting through action-packed stages, wiping out enemies, then facing enemy bosses. I’ll also be putting in parentheses a certain music soundtrack from a certain game, so to make these stages/bosses more interesting, you can choose to listen to it on YouTube, or not.**

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Chapter 2: New Friends, New Enemies

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_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The alarm clock sounded, waking galactic Earth operative, Numbuh 1/Nigel Uno. He reached over to his nightstand, switching the alarm off. “Man, what a weird dream.” The bald operative said, half asleep. “Maybe just a few more minutes.” He yawned as he got back in bed and went back to sleep. He was snoring away until…

“WAKEY, WAKEY!” Gabe exclaimed as he burst into his new room and dumped a glass of water on him, startling Numbuh 1 awake. “C’mon, Nigel! The Supreme Galactic Leader has a new mission for you!”

“Numbuh 74.239, can’t this wait until later? It’s 7:00 in the morning!”

“In Earth hours, but in Galaxia hours, it’s only 10:00!”

“What the crud are Galaxia hours? ! This galaxy spreads over thousands of light-years, time-zones are totally different for each planet!”

“Whatever, all we know is it’s 10:00 here, so you need to get up.”

“That’s still too early for me! Now, will you go away? You were annoying enough as a human!” Nigel exclaimed. He had been serving in GKND for 3 months already, and he was still in shock that Numbuh 74.239 was really an alien in human form. _You think you know a guy._ He thought to himself. The shock wasn’t as great with Numbuh Infinity. In the short time he’s known him, Numbuh 1 always thought he was hiding something.

“You can sleep later Numbuh 1.” Infinity, in his Wisp form, said, coming in. “Numbuh 256 has an important mission for you.”

 _Speak of the devil_ , Nigel thought to himself. “Well, tell her dimension-bending-freak-faceness that I’m not interested.” The bald Brit replied.

Infinity sighed. “Look, Numbuh 1, no one here likes her right away, but you’ll get used to her, eventually. (I’m still trying to get used to her. And I’ve been working here for AGES!)”

“Fine.” Numbuh 1 sighed. “Just let me get dressed, first.” And with that, Gabe and Jeremy exited the room. As he was getting out of bed, he turned to his left and looked at pictures of his friends and family sitting on the shelf with a sad expression. One picture was of him and Sector V in the Treehouse living room. One was a family photo of him, his parents, and Numbuh 10 and her parents (in which the two cousins were holding two fingers above each others’ heads (you know, that little prank some people do in photos)). Another photo was of him doing a victory pose after beating Harvey in a chilidog eating contest. One photo was of him being hugged to death by his ex-girlfriend, Lizzie (he wanted to keep that, for some reason), while the other photo was of him and Rachel at an amusement park, when Rachel tried to cheer him up after his breakup with Lizzie.

Nigel gave a depressed sigh after looking at that particular photo. He missed his old Supreme Leader most of all, for some reason. He didn’t know if it was because she seemed more than a friend… or if it was because of his new leader. After staring at the picture long enough, he went and washed his face in the nearby bathroom, put on his new outfit, grabbed the bag of 2x4-technology Numbuh 2 gave him, and headed out to the Supreme Leader’s office.

**Supreme Leader Dimentia’s Throne Room**

After a long walk through the ginormous base, he finally reached his Supreme Leader’s office, which looked more like a throne room. Sitting on a white, fancy chair, which rested on the top of a small, steep staircase, and three points at the top of the chair, was none other than Supreme Galactic Leader, Numbuh 256, herself. The Supreme Leader wore a purple and yellow jester’s hat with small, yellow orbs with stars inside them on the purple points of the hat. Her jester hat also had the number “256” taped to the lower front. She wore a shirt with yellow and purple stripes going up and down, pitch-black pants, and pitch-black shoes. Her body nearly resembled that of a human’s, only her hands were pitch-black, and her face was half black and half white. The eye on the black side of her face was yellow with a purple pupil, while the one on her white side was black with a yellow pupil.

Numbuh 256 gave a smile as Numbuh 1 walked into the office/throne room, who, in turn, just stared back at her in a negative fashion. He really didn’t like his new Supreme Leader very much. She had all the qualities fitting for a leader, but, for some odd reason, he got a bad vibe whenever he was around her. Numbuh 256’s smile turned into a frown, staring back at the Earth operative. “Aren’t you going to address me?” She questioned, her voice mysterious and echoey.

“No.” Nigel wittingly replied.

“I’m not getting any younger, Number 1. And I’d like to make it through today without any problems. Now, address me.” Replied 256, her voice strict and stern.

“I don’t really feel like it today.”

Gabe and Jeremy, who were by the wall, sighed at this as Numbuh 256 stepped off her throne and began walking slowly toward Numbuh 1. “Tell me something, Nigel: Why did I let you into this organization, again?”

“Because I proved myself to be the greatest operative on Earth.”

“Riiighht. And why are you here?”

“Because I wanted to do something great for the Kids Next Door.”

“Exactly. But don’t think I’ll let your disobedience go lightly. I’m not like your old Supreme Leader, who only decommissions operatives or throws them in jail just for being disloyal.” She said as she walked up to him and angrily whispered in his ear. Up close, she was only a few inches taller than him. “I’m a dimensional bender. And I can take your body apart and scatter it all across the universe without making you feel a thing. Now, address me.”

Numbuh 1, however, wasn’t frightened by her threats. But he figured he might have less trouble if he just did what she ordered. With that, he slowly put his hand up to his head, saluting her. “Supreme Galactic Leader, Numbuh 256, sir.” He said with no motivation whatsoever.

“Good.” The Supreme Leader replied. “But it’s clear to me now that whoever your old leader was did a terrible job.”

As Numbuh 256 was about to walk back to her throne, Nigel grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back, looking directly into her eyes. “You may be my Supreme Leader now, but you will NOT insult Rachel’s leadership style in front of me.” He whispered through gritted teeth before letting her go forcefully.

“Oh, please.” Replied 256. “What does this ‘Rachel’ have that I don’t have?”

“You mean besides a good fashion sense, a normal face, and a close friendship?”

“How dare you! I have a beautiful face along with a beautiful name: Dimentia.”

“Well, then that proves my point about you being a psycho.”

“My name refers to my dimension bending powers. Not me being demented, which I’m not.” Numbuh 1 just turned his head away, rather than saying anything. “What’s the matter with you anyway? Not enjoying your stay up here with the higher-ups? I figured you’d find these aliens a lot more interesting than the same, boring people you hung out with on Earth.”

“At least I had more respect back on Earth. Ever since I got up here, I haven’t made any new friends, and I barely get along with anyone here. To tell the truth, working with these higher-ups wasn’t anything like I thought it would be.”

“You just need a bit more time to get use to things. It’s not easy for everyone here to try to fit it in.” Dimentia said, putting a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “But once you do, you’ll see that we galactic level operatives are far superior to anything your Earth Kids Next Door has to offer.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Even so,” she replied removing her hand from his shoulder, “I don’t care how much you miss your friends. As long as I’m still young, you’re never going back.”

Numbuh 1 just hung his head down in depression.

“With that settled, let’s talk about your mission. Today, you’ll be going with Number 10,000 to the vege-filled planet of Flora. According to our reports, the king of Flora, Croacus, has just made an alliance with the Almighty Tallest. He’s forcing kids to dig up broccoli from his mines that he’s going to ship off to Planet Irk. We think the Tallest want to use the broccoli to poison any kids that might oppose them. Your mission is to take these timed bombs and set them off with this detonator.” And with that, several time bombs appeared out of thin air along with a detonator. “I’ve already explained the details to Number 10,000. She should be waiting down in the hangar.”

“Right then!” Exclaimed Numbuh 1 as he grabbed a H.A.I.R.C.U.T.T.E.R. from his bag. “Time to cut some weeds!”

“Hold up there, soldier!” Dimentia exclaimed as she warped in front of the exit before Nigel could run out of the room. “You aren’t going anywhere with THAT. As a galactic operative, you need to use more advanced technology. Not pieces of scrape.”

“But-” protested Nigel.

“Listen, Number 1. These aren’t anything like the villains you fought back on Earth. We aren’t dealing with candy-loving pirates who drive boats on land, weirdos that dress up in toilet paper, or some guy who wastes his whole life trying to be good at dodgeball. The Almighty Tallest are a true force to be reckoned with. And if we’re ever going to stop this adulthood disease, you need to use our technology.”

Numbuh 1 sighed. “I know, sir. It’s just that Numbuh 2’s my best friend and he worked really hard on these for me. I wouldn’t want to let him down.”

“Well, the fact that he ‘worked hard on them’ doesn’t make a difference. They’re still just pieces of scrape. They won’t get you anywhere. Now, put those overgrown scissors away and get to the hangar. Number 10,000 should have all the equipment you need on her ship. But in case you feel a bit lacking in power or defense, you can visit our 20x40 labs. The technology officers will be willing to sell you some weapons in exchange for a few Bolts. As you might recall, a lot of Irken and enemy officers carry Bolts with them, and you can easily retrieve them by wiping out enemies. Bolts are sort of our currency up here, and it may suit you well to collect plenty of them. Understood?”

Numbuh 1 wanted to yell at her for talking about Numbuh 2’s technology in such a cruel way, but decided to let it go. “Fine.”

“Good. Now, get going. I’ll send these bombs to your ship.” She said, teleporting the bombs and detonator and stepping out of the way.

As Numbuh 1 was about to walk out of the room, he turned his head back to Dimentia. “One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“It’s _Numbuh_ 1.” And with that, he walked away.

Once he was out of sight, Dimentia’s eyes furrowed. She spoke in a hateful, spiteful tone, _“I spit upon his old leader.”_

“With all do respect, Sir,” replied Infinity, “you can be a little too harsh, sometimes. Maybe he would get along here better if you were a bit more nice?”

Dimentia thought for moment. “Hmmm, maybe you’re right. I’ll think about it. But for now, Jeremy: take Number 1’s bag back to his room.” Jeremy did as told. “Gabe: bring me my mirror.” Gabe did as told and brought her a mirror. Dimentia looked into the mirror and examined her face. “Hmmm. I seem to be getting a few wrinkles. I think it’s time for a drink from the fountain...”

**Hangar**

After Numbuh 1’s little argument with the Supreme Galactic Leader, he made his way down to the hangar to meet his partner for the mission to Planet Flora, Numbuh 10,000. He was worried whether or not he was going to get along with this new operative. He’s never met or even seen Numbuh 10,000, so he doesn’t know what she’s like. He hoped that, at least, she knew English. Most of the aliens he doesn’t work well with don’t even speak his language. Some of them just plain don’t like him.

When he finally got to the hangar, he saw a girl there, about his height, swinging two swords at mid-air. This girl wore a purple dress with a small brown belt tied around her waist. Her belt held little containers which she probably used to sheath her swords. She had black hair tied in a ponytail, wore black sandals, had big, pointy ears, purple eyes, and snow white skin. Aside from the snow white skin and big, pointy ears, she looked nearly human. Nigel only hoped she spoke human.

He approached the alien girl slowly and asked, “Excuse me, are you Numbuh 10,000?”

The girl ceased her sword swinging and turned her attention to the bald-headed human. “#&#!*()+!”, she said in some weird alien language.

 _Oh, great_ , Nigel Uno thought to himself. _Another alien that I don’t understand what the crud she’s saying. I already know this mission’s going to go swell._ “So, is that a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’?” He finally asked her.

The girl, whom he questioned was Numbuh 10,000, just rolled her eyes, grabbed Nigel by the shoulders, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Nigel did his best to try and shake her off of him, and after a few seconds, he succeeded. He certainly wasn’t expecting some weird alien girl to pull him in for a make-out session. “What the heck was that for?” He yelled.

“So this mission doesn’t turn into epic fail because you only know one language. DUH!”

Nigel, after realizing why she kissed him now, replied, “Oh. Well, how about a little warning next time?”

“And… how was I supposed to do that when you couldn’t even understand me before?”

Nigel scratched his head and said, “Yeah, good point.”

“Kissing people is the only way for people on Glomour to get others of a different language to understand them. We don’t know why, but it works like a charm! And it not only helps people with a different language understand us, but it helps them understand everyone else we’ve kissed. In other words, you can pretty much understand every operative in this base!”

“And… why is that?” Numbuh 1 questioned, but he thought he already knew the answer.

“I kissed nearly everyone in this base! Hey, you aren’t the only one who has trouble with these alien languages.”

Knowing this made Nigel nearly want to throw up. Just how many different aliens were in GKND? At least he wouldn’t have any trouble understanding them, now.

“With that out of the way, yes, I’m Numbuh 10,000, dual swords expert and Glomourian operative of the GKND. My real name, though, is Avalagrogaline Ragasquirina.” **(A/N: You don’t know how long it took me to think of that name!)**

Numbuh 1’s head spinned at the unpronounceable alien name.

“But my friends call me-”

“AVA!” Nigel guessed.

“Yeah… How did you know?”

“Well, back on Earth, I have a cousin named Eva, and you look a lot like her.

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence? I bet you and your cousin were really close.”

Nigel’s smile became a small frown. “Yeah, we were. How did you…”

“Numbuh 256 told me all about you. She told me how you were a ‘mopey old sap that cries for his pitiful friends more than a weeping willow.’”

“That does sound like something she would say.” Replied a slightly annoyed Nigel.

“It’s okay. I know how you feel. I felt the same way when I had to leave my friends back on Glomour. And I still sort of feel that way. Especially since I have to listen to the Queen of Miscolored Faces.”

Nigel smiled and chuckled on that statement. “I take it you don’t like Dimentia either?”

“You might say that.” She smirked. “But as long as we can fight off this disease, it’s worth it.”

“Yeah. The ‘disease.’” Nigel replied, still wondering if this disease was even real. “Anyway, I’m Numbuh 1, former sector leader and Earth operative of the GKND. My real name is Nigel Uno.”

Hearing this name slightly surprised the Glomourian operative.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-No. It’s nothing. It’s nice to meet you, Numbuh 1.” She replied, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too.” replied the Earth operative. After 3 long months, he thinks he finally made a friend. “Well, we should get going. Is the ship ready to go?”

“Yep, I’ve got everything supplied on my ship.” Behind Ava was a dark pink ship that was shaped like a heart, was big as a S.C.A.M.P.E.R., and has a large cockpit. “And you can fly by me on yours.” Nigel looked to his ship, the Arwing, which was as long as Ava’s ship, had blue wings, and a silver middle. “Ready to go?”

“Yes! Let’s go show the Tallest what we think about yucky vegetables!”

“Someone’s enthusiastic.” Ava smirked. “This might be fun.” The duo of operatives hopped in their respective ships and shot off into the stars.

_Galactic Offense, Act 1_

_Mission: Get to Planet Flora!_

“Ahh, always a lovely day for flying.” Ava sighed as she and Nigel calmly soared over the stars. “Even though you can’t tell night from day in space. ‘Course, in Glomour, you actually-” Ava stopped herself when several red dots appeared on her radar. “Wuh-oh. Looks like we got trouble. Get ready for butt-kicking, Numbuh 1.” A barrage of laser fire was shot at them as Ava stylishly rolled out of the way. The Earth operative yelped and fright and frantically zipped out of the way. (Play “Mid-Air Battle” from _Star Fox: Assault_!)

_“Attention Galactic Kids Next Door operatives, you are under arrest for interfering with the Irken Empire’s plans for spreading adult tyranny throughout the universe. Surrender now and drop your ships.”_

“We’ve been under arrest for years, and you guys still haven’t managed to catch us!” Nigel yelled back.

_“He’s right, Sir. We never do.”_

_“Eyes front, soldier! Show these rebels what happens when you go against the Tallest!”_

Nigel flew around and avoided as Irken troops fired at him. Ava was already flying around and shooting every Irken troop in her sight. “You doing all right there, Nigel?”

Nigel cringed after taking a hit. “I’m fine. I actually just bought this Arwing yesterday and I’m not really used to it.”

“There should at least be a button for shooting lasers.”

Nigel saw a button labeled “A” and started mashing at it, his ship immediately unleashing lasers and taking down a few ships. “WELL, that’s one mystery solved.”

“Just be careful not to shoot me.”

Irken ships came at Nigel one at a time, but the bald Brit was easily able to shoot them down with his lasers. “Oh, crud. Nigel, how ‘bout a little of that mastery?” Nigel looked to see Ava being chased by another ship, who kept steadily on her tail. He turned his ship to face Ava’s and was able to shoot the pursuing craft. “Great! But watch out, you got some behind you now.”

Nigel looked at his radar and saw a trio of ships on his tail. He kept turning his Arwing left and right, and up and down, but they stayed on him and damaged him with lasers. “AAH! Ava, help!”

“I’m busy! You know, for someone who’s been here for 3 months, you sound like you just started yesterday.”

“I probably have for all I know! Space has different time-zones, probably! It’s okay, I can handle.” He replied as he began to search below his controls. “Ah, the manual! This should help! Let’s see… to do a somersault, press the left yellow arrow and thrust your control stick upwards.” Nigel noticed the four yellow arrows on his control pad. He pushed the left one and thrusted upward, and he was instantly behind the enemies. “All right! What else… ‘Hold A to charge your laser.’ Well, that seems simple enough.” The boy did as he read and held down his laser button. Right away, his laser locked onto the center ship, and when he released, his ship fired an energy missile and wiped them all out. “HEHE-YES!!”

“Someone’s excited.” Ava remarked.

“Hehe, it’s just like playing on my old N64! These guys are in trouble now!”

As they flew ahead, a group of ships aligned in a circle flew toward the Brit and shot lasers. Nigel merely locked on and fired an energy missile to blow them all away.

_“Blarrgh, they penetrated the first division. Send in the proto weapons.”_

An Irken dropship released a large robot, whose hands were blades. The robot slashed at Nigel’s ship, but the British operative swerved left and right. He grabbed his manual and read, “‘To barrel roll, press “Z” or “R” twice.’” He found said controls and mashed them to swiftly dodge out of the swords’ way a lot easier. He locked onto the robot and blasted him with all of the lasers he could before the robot caught him between his blades. Nigel looked down at the “B” button, which had a picture of a bomb. He pushed it and instantly fired a bomb to blow up the robot in a single shot.

“Ho-ho, yeah! Numbuh 2 has got to see-…” He stopped himself in his excitement, the sadness in his heart coming back.

A squadron of 20 ships was released from a dropship, but Nigel unleashed another bomb and blew them all away. “Nigel, I’m picking up weak spots on those dropships. Let’s take them all out.”

“R-Right!” Nigel shook back to his senses and gripped the lever. He came to the first dropship and rapidly fired lasers at the highlighted blue spot, causing it to eventually explode. Ava was coming to another dropship, her cannons locking on before they fired dual hearts, striking the weak point and causing the ship to crumble. He and Ava were soon approaching the remaining dropship. The couple released fire and had the ship sunk in a few hits.

_“They’re reaching the inner line! We can’t beat ‘em!”_

_“We’ll see about that, soldier!”_

Just as the operatives were nearing the planet’s atmosphere, a ship got in their way, designed like the Irken’s symbol. The ship extracted cannons from its ears and fired an array of simple shots, but Nigel shot and destroyed the cannons. They kept regenerating, but Nigel kept bringing them down. That’s when the eyes of the ship opened and revealed two energy rods, which took aim on Nigel attempted to blast him with twin beams. Nigel swerved right and evaded them before beginning to counter with his own laser fire. After a few rounds of hits, both rods were taken down.

_“We’ve lost two of our power generators! Initiate defense mode beta!”_

_“Sir, will you cut it with the technical jargon and just say, ‘Activate the shields’?”_

_“Why do you get a kick out of ruining my fun, soldier?”_

The Irken flagship activated an orange spherical barrier as it began to throw missiles at the operative’s Arwing. Nigel shot lasers and energy missiles at the barrier, but his attacks didn’t phase. “Regular attacks might not work now. Try using bombs.” Ava suggested. Nigel did so and released another bomb at the ship’s shield, and one explosion was enough to disable it. The mouth of the ship opened and revealed another weak point, to which Nigel already began shooting.

 _“Shields reengaged.”_ The Irken commander announced as the shield returned.

“Crud. And I’m all out of bombs.”

“’Guess I’m coming to your rescue again. Hold on, Nige.” Ava said as she flew in front of her British friend. When the Irken ship started shooting missiles again, Ava switched on her own shield and absorbed the fire. She looked as the energy in her ship was slowly building after each shot. When a bar on her radar reached max capacity, she said, “That should do it. Better move back, Nigel. Particle Beam Cannon, fire!” Nigel immediately swerved out of the way when Ava’s ship unleashed a massive shockwave which blew away the enemy ship’s shield.

_“Gaah, since when can they do that?!”_

_“Sir, I kind of warned you about this when I played that Kids Next Door videogame. We… should have got the unabsorbable missiles.”_

_“Listen, soldier, if I hear one more remark outta you-”_

“Lover’s quarrel? Get a room, you two.” Was Nigel’s last remark as he locked onto the ship’s weak point and released an energy missile, destroying the rod of energy.

_“Mayday, we’re going down! WAAAAAH!”_

_“Don’t anybody touch my CDs before I get hoooooome!”_

“Well-p, phase one of the mission complete.” Nigel said as they prepared to enter Flora’s atmosphere.

“You barely survived the aerial assault, soldier.” Ava smirked. “Let’s hope you can handle yourself on land.”

“Mm…” Nigel cringed slightly when Ava said ‘soldier’.

“What’s wrong, Nigel?”

“Er, nothing. Nothing’s wrong. Let’s go.” Still focused on his mission, Nigel and Ava moved forward on their route to Flora. (End song.)

**The _Massive_** __

_Meanwhile, on a massive, red ship hovering just above Planet Irk’s atmosphere, surrounded by a fleet of smaller red ships, many child Irken soldiers were gathered in a sort of audience room in the center of the massive ship. They were gathered around a small stage at one end of the room. The stage held two doorways at both ends and a circular hole in the middle. A platform matching the size of the hole rose up from it, carrying two rather tall adult Irkens. One of them had red eyes, had a skinny lower body and a slightly buff looking upper body. He was also dressed in red, mechanical armor. The Irken on his left side appeared to be his twin, only he had purple eyes and purple armor. If you hadn’t guessed, the two Irkens were the Almighty Tallest. Both Tallest had only two fingers on each hand, while every other Irken had three._

_The Irken children cheered as the two Tallest appeared on stage. The red Tallest was waving at them, while the purple Tallest was blowing them kisses. “THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” Exclaimed the red Tallest. He kept repeating this as Irkens continued to cheer. Eventually, the cheering stopped, but the red Tallest continued to repeat quieter “Thank you”s several times. Once he was finished, he spoke, “Now, then. You all are probably wondering why we called you here today. Well, you see, the Irken Empire has recently made an ‘alliance’ with the Floran adults, and children of Flora are being forced to dig up broccoli from the mines.”_

_The Irkens began to cheer more after hearing this announcement. “We will use the endless broccoli from their mines to force feed buhmillions of children throughout the universe, so that you all and many others will be ever so closer to reaching glorious adulthood!”_

_“All because we care about you kids so much!” finished the purple Tallest. The Irkens once again cheered at this._

_“Hey, Tallest!” spoke up one of the young Irkens. “What if those GKND brats get in the way again?”_

_“Yeah! Like they’ve been doing for the past kajillion years?” spoke up another Irken._

_“We know our past attempts at destroying them haven’t exactly worked out,” replied the purple Tallest._

_“…but we assure you”, continued the red Tallest, “that as long as you all think like smart, responsible adults, the bratty minds of the GKND will be ousted and children throughout the universe will get to bask in the glory that is adulthood!”_

_“But for right now” continued the purple Tallest, “everyone needs to get back to their stations. Irken soldiers dismissed!”_

_“ALMIGHTY TALLEST RULE!” shouted the Irken soldiers._

_And with that, the Irken children exited out the doorways of the audience room. The Tallest exited out one of the doors on stage, but not before the purple one shouted to the Irkens, “And remember: it’s for a worthy cause!”_

_As the Tallest were walking down the hallways of their massive ship, they were laughing uncontrollably. “Man!” said the purple Tallest through laughs. “Can you believe those brats are still buying this crud?”_

_“Yeah!” replied the red Tallest. “You almost had me when you said ‘because we care about you kids so much.’” The two kept laughing as they made their way to a control room with several Irken soldiers at various stations._

_The two sat in chairs on a high platform as they ceased their laughing and breathed a sigh of relief. “Ah, kids.” And with that, the two Tallest reached below their chairs and pulled up some soda and chocolate bars and began to devour their snacks._

_“Hey,” spoke the purple Tallest, chewing on his chocolate bar, “what do you think the GKND are doing anyway?”_

_“I don’t know. Probably planning to destroy the broccoli mines on Flora or something.”_

_“Shouldn’t we plan something for them?”_

_“Nah.” replied Red, not really caring. “We have plenty of Irken troops down there. Plus we got King Croacus on our side. We have nothing to worry about. Unless it were-”_

_“Sirs:”, spoke one of the Irkens from their stations. “Our spy has just reported. Two GKND agents are headed to Planet Flora to destroy the broccoli mines. One of them being the new Earth operative, Number 1.”_

_“Oh no.” groaned Red. “Ever since that Number 1 guy joined GKND, reports of failures have been rising through the roof! I don’t think we’ve had this much trouble since-”_

_“HEY!” interrupted Purple. “Why don’t we go down to Planet Flora and give that Number 1 guy a piece of our minds!”_

_“Yeah.” replied Red. “We’ll go down there, give him a good talking to, and then maybe have Croacus kick his bratty butt!”_

_The two Tallest “WOO!-ed” after announcing their uncreative plan. The Irken soldiers just shook their heads after hearing this. Once they were finished, they were about to leave, until…_

_“Sirs:” spoke up that same Irken from before, “We have an incoming transmission from Earth.”_

_The two Tallest groaned after hearing this. “Come on.” spoke Red. “Let’s see what Zim wants now.” And with that, the two Tallest answered the call from their most hated soldier._

_**Gallagher Elementary** _

_It was another ordinary day at Gallagher Elementary. It was lunch time, and the students were happily enjoying their packed lunches. More than half of the students appeared to be listening to music on headphones and other handheld devices people use to listen to music. Their peace didn’t last, however, as several men and women burst in through the windows and landed on the tables, frightening the kids. These men and women appeared to be dressed as rappers. (Note: That’s RAP, not RAPE!)_

_The children were about to flee out one of the entrances until the doors of the exit shot open, letting in a cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared, some rap music started to play, and an African American man wearing a blue suit, a black derby with a white stripe, a golden necklace with an R on it, and held a black cane with a silver, sharp cube at the top stepped into the cafeteria. The children backed away in fear as this man stepped slowly forward._

_“Good afternoon, Gallagher. Now, I got yo’ attention, my name is The Rhymer, and I suppose I should mention, my henchmen, are going to adore…”_

_As the man, known as The Rhymer sang, the henchmen were snatching the musical devices away from the children._

_“…taking your headphones, and smashing them ALL TO THE FLOOR!” The henchmen did as he sang. “Care for more?”_

_At one of the tables in the corner of the cafeteria, Lizzie and Numbuh 65.3 (aka Herbie) were watching these events go on. “Oh, great!” Exclaimed Lizzie. “That’s just what this show needs! Another villain that rhymes and sings!”_

_“Hey, have you noticed most of these guys like to attack during lunch?” replied Herbie._

_“Yeah… Must be a new villain fad or something.”_

_Ace, who was sitting across from them, was paying them no attention, and was nodding his head to the music in his headphones. Lizzie and Herbie gave him disbelieving looks. The Kid was interrupted when The Rhymer walked over and pulled the headphones off his head. “Hey, man!” exclaimed the Hispanic flirt. “What’s the big idea taking our music?”_

_“Because you listen to it too much!” shot back Lizzie._

_“Precisely the point, you little snot, listening to music, kids should not. Stuff like this should belong to people over thirteen, so you can focus more on schoolwork; I hate to be mean.”_

_“Then wouldn’t it make more sense if you STOLE this junk to give to teenagers? Instead of just smashing them?” replied Lizzie._

_The Rhymer was about to say something back until he realized his folly. “Yeah, I suppose that would make more sense, I guess. Wow. This whole thing became a really big mess.” He turned toward his henchmen. “Y’know, maybe we should go.”_

_But just as he spoke, no one other than the Sector V team burst through the ceiling and landed in front of The Rhymer. “Hate to break it to you, Rhymer,” Numbuh 2 spoke, “but you’re going down, old timer! OW!”_

_Numbuh 5, who had smacked him with her hat, said, “When Numbuh 5 says she orders you stop with the lame jokes, what do you think she means?”_

_“Aw, come on! He practically set me up for that one!”_

_“Well, well, if it isn’t Sector V.” spoke The Rhymer. “But I could’ve sworn there were more of you, or is it just me? Oh YEAH! That’s right! Where’s Numbuh One? I didn’t want him to miss out on the fun!”_

_“Nigie’s been gone for 3 months now!” Shouted Lizzie from her table._

_“He is! But where? To ask, I dare!”_

_“Man, that was worse than Numbuh 2.” replied Abby. “Anyway, Numbuh 1’s on a top secret mission right now.”_

_The Rhymer noticed Abby was wearing a strange-looking pair of sunglasses. “I can tell you know something; of that, no doubt. But if I can’t get you to spill, no reason to pout. Still, you won’t have much luck without your boss. Now, you’re going to endure an embarrassing loss!”_

_“We don’t need Numbuh 1 to take on a rhyming loser like you!” exclaimed Numbuh 4._

_“Well, no time to slack! Rappers: ATTACK!”_

_“KIDS NEXT DOOR: BATTLE STATIONS!”_

_In an instant, Sector V and the Rappers went to battle. Numbuh 2 was firing his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. at rappers with guns that fired CDs, Numbuh 3 was happily dodging hand-thrown CDs that became shurikens when thrown, Numbuh 4 was doing hand-to-hand combat with a few other rappers, while Numbuh 5 dealt with The Rhymer._

_Numbuh 5 was throwing punches and kicks at the rapping villain, who was simply blocking them with his staff. Pretty soon, she got tired and The Rhymer began swinging his staff at her. Abby dodged the blows as best she could. “What’s wrong, little girl? Getting weak? I think it’s time for you to take a leak! A good leader, you? That’s a laugh! That Numbuh 1 must’ve been horribly daft!”_

_Hearing this enraged Abby, and she began throwing lightning punches at Rhymer. She was able to land several blows on him and kept this up until he was knocked to the wall, followed by a great big fall._

_“Hey, Rhymer!” The Rhymer recovered in time to see he was surrounded by the Sector V team. He looked to see that his rappers had all been knocked to the floor. “Let’s see how you like taking a leak!” exclaimed Numbuh 2._

_“Any last words before we knock your cruddy songs out of ya?” exclaimed Wally._

_“Well, yes. I would be remiss if I did not say THIS:” And with that, The Rhymer twirled his staff and stuck it into the ground with a thud. “Musical notes, seek your prey! Beat these goats, and make my day!” On his command, the cube on his staff opened, releasing a swarm of black notes with neon outlines, which then attacked Sector V, dealing great damage, I implore, and then, as you guessed it, knocked them all to the floor. Need I say more?_

_The Sector V team groaned in pain after enduring the swarm of the unexpectedly painful notes. “Is that all?” Asked The Rhymer. “Man, that was too easy! I didn’t expect them to be so cheesy! These guys ain’t nothin’ without their leader. C’mon, guys, let’s take a breather. As if I really need it, either.” And with that, the rappers recovered and headed out the door._

_“Great job, Sector V!” Exclaimed Numbuh 86 sarcastically, walking up to them. “You let him get away! All because ya couldn’t handle a few notes!”_

_“Well, excuse me, Numbuh 86,” shot back Numbuh 2, “but I didn’t see YOU doing anything to stop them!”_

_“I was doing something important! Anyway, this is the third villain that slipped away from you this week! Ever since Numbuh 1 disappeared, your mission success rate has been dropping constantly! If this keeps up, we’ll have each of you reassigned to different sectors! Especially since you won’t tell us where he is!” And with that, she left._

_Soon after, the bell rang, and the kids began to exit the ruined cafeteria. “Come on.” said a depressed Abby. “Let’s get to class.” And so, they did, with sad expressions on their faces._

_**Sector V Treehouse** _

__“…but, as it turns out, Sector V wasn’t a match for The Rhymer’s musical notes. In the end, all they had were sore throats!”_ _

_The Sector V team was back at the treehouse, sulking in misery after their humiliating defeat, listening to Numbuh 11.0 make up corny jokes about their defeat on the KND Nightly News. “Man!” Exclaimed Numbuh 4. “Ah can’t believe we got beat by that rhyming weirdo! Ah don’t even know what show he’s from!”_

_“Yeah, ever since Numbuh 1 left, things haven’t been going so great for us.” Hoagie replied._

_“Aw, come on, guys!” Said a happy Kuki, trying to liven the mood. “So we messed up a few missions because we didn’t have Numbuh 1! That’s no reason to act so sad! And besides, it’s just like Abby said, there’ll always be other missions!”_

_“They’re going to separate us if we mess up anymore, Numbuh 3!” replied Abby._

_“Oh, yeah.” Kuki sadly replied, her smile turning to a frown. “I miss Numbuh 1.”_

_“Don’t we all?” replied Hoagie_

_“I hope Numbuh 1’s happy.” Remarked an angry Wally. “Leaving us behind to help those space kids up in Canada. Who came up with cruddy ‘GKND’ anyway?”_

_“Their leader’s name is Dimentia.”_

_The team turned their heads to Numbuh 2 and looked at him curiously. “How much did those scientists tell you, anyway?” asked Abby._

_“Not too much. But Gabe’s told me enough about their leader.”_

_“So, what’s she like?”_

_“Crazy. Bossy. Weird fashion sense. Funny face. Suspicious. Controls dimensions. Sounds like a fun person to be around with, huh?”_

_“Well, I hope Numbuh 1’s not having too much trouble with her.” Replied Kuki._

_“I’m sure he’s fine. He IS Numbuh 1, after all. But Numbuh 5’s still worried how Numbuh 362’s taking it.”_

_**Sector L Treehouse** _

_“You might even say The Rhymer knew how to RAP things up!” Numbuh 11.0 laughed at his own corny joke. He expected Numbuh 10 to smack him out of his laughing trance, but his laughing slowly faded when he realized she wasn’t beside him._

_“In other news, operatives are still baffled by the mysterious disappearance of operative, Numbuh 1, aka Nigel Uno, along with leading scientist, Numbuh 74.239, and diplomat, Numbuh Infinity. Oddly enough, Numbuh 1’s parents don’t seem to have any memory of even having him at all. Reporters, Nick and Chip, claim to have spotted Numbuhs 1 and 74.239 disappear in a glob of green goo. The only known operatives who seem to know where they are are Numbuhs 2-5 of Sector V, but they don’t appear to be telling us anything. Coming up tomorrow: What does our Supreme Leader’s middle initial stand for? Some think that her parents just weren’t thinking straight at the time. Good night, everybody!”_

_And with that, the cameras switched off and the Nightly News team left the Sector L Treehouse to return to their homes. Numbuh 11.0, however, stayed behind and entered Numbuh 10’s room to find his leader/best friend/secret crush lying on her bed in a depressed state. “You okay, Eva?” he asked, full of concern._

_Numbuh 10 looked up to see her best friend standing in the doorway. “Oh. Hey, Kade. How’d the news segment go?”_

_“It went well. You should’ve been there, Eva! I was on fire with the jokes today! It’s not too hard to think of any when the top sector gets beat by a swarm of musical notes!” Re-stating what happened with Sector V made him laugh more._

_“Sorry I missed it.” Numbuh 10 replied sarcastically._

_Numbuh 11.0 could tell she was upset. “Come on, Eva. It’s been 3 months. Don’t you think you should forget about him and move on?”_

_“Forget about him?” Eva replied, half mad. “How would you feel if someone important in your life just up and left without so much as a trace?”_

_“Well, you have a point. I don’t know what I’d do if you went and suddenly disappeared. But you haven’t even done any news segments and we hardly hang out anymore.”_

_“I’m sorry, Kade. It’s just, ever since he vanished, I feel like a huge part of me just died. I mean, Nigel always felt like a brother to me, and after hearing he vanished… it really tore me up.”_

_Numbuh 11.0 walked over to his friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. He secretly loved her with a passion and couldn’t stand to see her like this. “Well, just so you know, Eva, I’m your friend. If you ever need me, I’d be willing to listen.”_

_Eva gave a weak smile at his words. She still couldn’t believe how someone so terrible with jokes could be so understanding. “Thanks Kade. You’re a great friend.”_

_Kade smiled back. “And if it makes you feel better, I could tell you a few new jokes!”_

_“Uhhh… no thanks. I think I’ll just go to bed.”_

_“Okay. Good night.”_

_“Good night.”_

_And with that, Numbuh 10 went to sleep and Kade exited her room. Before he left for his house, he said to himself, “Man, I sure wish those scientists hadn’t made me promise not to tell her.” And so, he left._

_Back in Numbuh 10’s room, the shadow being that watched from the corner of her room phased through the walls and took off for space._

_**Zim’s House** _

__“Look, Zim, for the last time, we’re not sending you any weapons.”_ _

_In a small, strange house in a forgotten neighborhood, the young Irken invader, known as Zim, was speaking to his Almighty Tallest on his computer screen. “But sirs: how am I supposed to conquer the Earth without super weapons?”_

__“Zim, we banished-er, I mean, SENT you to the planet to learn it’s weaknesses, so that the armada will have no trouble when it comes to attack it. You’re not conquering it.”_ Spoke his Almighty Tallest, Red._

_“But all the other invaders got to conquer their assigned planets. They all got to establish their adult tyranny! Why not me? I’m far more capable of doing so than any other invader!”_

__“Look, Zim,”_ spoke his purple Tallest, _“we have important matters to attend to, but just so you don’t think we don’t care about you, we’ll send you a couple things to keep you occupied.”_ As he spoke, a transporter that was in that same room began to activate, and several mechanical devices generated from it. _“So there you have it. A grappling plunger, a goo gun, and a few upgrades for your SIR unit. Okay, good-bye!”_ And with that, the screen went to black._

_Zim rode the elevator back up to his house to find his robot, GIR, watching TV, flipping channels. As Zim walked forward, he spoke, “Curses! How am I supposed to show the Tallest I’m capable of conqueration if they won’t even give me a chance?” GIR just sat on the floor flipping channels. “I need to find some way to prove my worth as an invader! But how…?”_

__“…operatives are still baffled by the mysterious disappearance of operative, Numbuh 1, aka Nigel Uno.”_ _

_“HUH?” Zim turned his attention to the TV screen, which somehow had the KND Nightly News._

__“Reporters, Nick and Chip, claim to have spotted Numbuhs 1 and 74.239 disappear in a glob of green goo.”_ _

_“What the heck is this?”_

__“The only known operatives that seem to know where they are are Numbuhs 2-5 of Sector V, but they don’t appear to be telling us anything. Coming up tomorrow: what does-”_ _

_Before he could get the sentence out, GIR had changed the channel to the _Rainbow Monkey Care-and-Share Time Special_. “GIR!” Zim shouted, grabbing the remote and switching back to KND Nightly News, then rewinded it to hear Numbuh 11.0’s news segment again. He rewinded and listened to it several times to completely absorb the information._

_“Hmm…” Zim thought to himself. “Green glob of goo. Earth child suddenly goes missing. GIR!” His expression lit up. “Do you realize what this means?”_

_“YES!”_

_There was a pause. “You really don’t, do you?”_

_“Uhhh… does it have to do with waffles?”_

_“Don’t you get it, GIR? A child that mysteriously disappears from a planet can only mean… Yes. YES! It must be THEM! But I must confirm if my suspicions are true. If what the Earth pig on the TV says is true, then this ‘Sector V’ is the only group of people that know where this ‘Nigel Uno’ is!”_

_“So…?”_

_“Pack your things, GIR. We’re going to pay this ‘Sector V’ a little visit! Then we’re going on a little space trip!” With that, Zim burst into maniacal laughter. Unknown to him, however, someone was watching from the window of his house._

_\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_**WHEW! Man, writing this thing was rough! LONGEST chapter, yet! And there was the first space-shooter level, next time will be the first real stage. Anyhoo, Numbuh 10,000 is my OC. She’s supposed to be an alien version of Numbuh 10. I got the whole “kissing” idea from _Teen Titans_ ’ Starfire. I thought it’d be funny. The main reason I put in that scene with Numbuhs 10 and 11.0 was because of the major under-appreciation that pairing gets. Speaking of which, 600 points to anyone who knows who that shadow was in Numbuh 10’s room! And 500 points to anyone who knows where The Rhymer comes from! Later, peeps! Dimentia is a female version of Dimentio from _Super Paper Mario_. She’s just the same, only female and more serious. Uhhh… bye-bye.** _


	3. Zim Pays a Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel and Ava venture across Flora to find the Broccoli Mines. Meanwhile, Zim visits a certain KND sector for information...

**Okay, people, welcome back, and now we’re gonna begin the first stage. Here we go!**

****

**_

Chapter 3: Zim Pays a Visit

_**

****

**Planet Flora**

Hundreds of plant-like children were hoarding truckloads of broccoli onto Irken ships, with shackles on their legs. The plant children appeared to be nothing more than walking flowers with faces on them. Two floating robots, both with stick-like bodies, one with a cube-shaped head and one with a sphere-shaped head, appeared to be giving orders.

“YEE-HAW!” exclaimed the cube-shaped robot in a western accent. “Get ’long li’l Florans! This here’s jus’ about enough broccoli to feed every kid in the whole dang cosmos!”

“Cubot,” said the sphere-headed robot, “your voice chip is stuck on cowboy again. Shouldn’t we fix it?”

“Awe, shucks, Orbot! Why you always gotta be ruinin’ my fun?”

“We’re not here to have fun. In fact, the very reason we’re doing this is to keep kids from having fun.”

“Aw, shoot, why you always gotta be so serious? Y’all need to loosen up! You’re just like some… oh, I dunno, some workaholic young’un’ who has to spend his or her day signin’ paperwork and junk, or somefin’. And besides, Tallest Purple loves my western accent!”

“Well, Tallest Red doesn’t, so let’s get back to the _Massive_ and fix that chip!”

“Oh, no need. How about you let us give it a try?”

“Whuh?! Who said that?!” The two robots turned their heads, scanning the area, looking for the source of that British accent. When suddenly, one of the Irken ships exploded.

“I say,” said Orbot, “I’m quite glad we weren’t on THAT ship!”

Another ship exploded. “Or THAT one!” exclaimed Cubot.

More ships exploded until there was only one left; the one the two robots were standing in front of. “What in the cosmos is going on here?!” exclaimed Orbot. As he spoke, the ship they were standing near exploded, blowing the robots back.

Before everyone’s eyes, Nigel Uno and Ava Raga…Raga…something-or-other came swooping down, firing lasers from their Arwing and Heart Star. They swooped across the ground, creating a gust of wind that nearly blew the children and Irkens, and as the ships shot back upward, Nigel and Ava dropped out, landing firmly on their feet. Ava switched out her swords while Nigel held up his-

**Galactic Kids Next Door: S.H.O.O.T.E.R.  
Simple Hunting Offensive Often Terrorizes Enemies Regularly**

-and began blasting all of the shackles off Floran kids. At the same time, his new partner, Numbuh 10,000, or Ava, was knocking out Irken soldiers, leaving the Floran children to cheer. “We wouldn’t mind fixing that chip of yours!” exclaimed Nigel, wittingly.

“Jumpin’ mushin’ joeies!” exclaimed Cubot. “If it ain’t the young jelly-bag from Planet Earth!”

“And the young Glomourian at that.” Replied Orbot. “Here to try to ruin our plans, I presume?”

“Do we usually have another reason for being here?” replied Ava.

“No, I reckon you don’t. But you’re gonna have to do a wee bit more than blow up a few cargo ships! The mines up ahead’r filled to the brim with enough broccoli t’ feed ever’ kid in the cosmos! And there ain’t nothin’ you c’n do ‘bout it!”

“So, you’re saying we can do something about it?” replied Nigel, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh?! What’s he talkin’ about?!” exclaimed Cubot, scratching his head.

“What he’s saying is,” replied Orbot, “since you said ‘ain’t nothin’ you can do ‘bout it’ and ‘ain’t’ and ‘nothin’’ are both negatives, and using two in one sentence would cancel them out, it was as if you were saying that they could do something about it. See, this is precisely the reason why you should get this chip fixed.”

“Wow, I didn’t think anyone would get that!” remarked Nigel to Ava.

“Er…” Cubot was just scratching his head, trying to understand. “Uhhh…, NEVER MIND! Either way, you ain’t never gonna beat King Croacus and blow up these here mines!”

“You just did it again!” remarked the bald Brit.

“Uhhh… Er…”

“I’ll explain it later. For right now, let’s just go warn Croacus they’re here.”

“I reckon that there’s a good idea!” And with that, the robots flew off into the mine.

As they left, Ava turned to Nigel and asked, “Nigel, when we jumped stylishly out of those ships, you _did_ remember to set your Arwing to ‘autopilot’, right?”

“Uhhh-“ But before he could say something, they watched his Arwing shoot down and crash in the distance. “Eh, hehehehe." Nigel blushed, grinning and scratching his head nervously as Ava stared disbelieved. “Please, you probably forgot to set yours, too.” They then watched as Ava’s Heart Star flew above the smoking Arwing, released a grappling claw down, and grabbed it before carrying it over and dropping it with a thud beside the operatives. “Oh, like YOUR ship has the ultimate autopilot.” At this remark, the Heart Star flew down and kicked Nigel with a boot. “OW!” Nigel rubbed his head and glared at Ava as she smirked victoriously.

“YAY!” exclaimed a female Floran. “You saved us from the big, mean green aliens!”

“You guys are awesome!” exclaimed a male Floran.

“Don’t celebrate, yet.” Replied Numbuh 1. “We still need to stop Croacus and blow up these mines.”

“Well, whatever you do, please don’t hurt King Croacus too hard!” replied the female Floran. “He usually isn’t this much of a bully! He’s normally a lot nicer! We think those Irkens must’ve did something to make him go crazy!”

“Well, we’ll be sure to make note of that.” Replied the Earth operative. “But for right now, let’s take these time bombs and bury this broccoli!”

“Right! Let’s go!” With that, the two operatives began their venture to the mines. (Play the “Tropical Jungle – The Jungle” theme from _Sonic the Hedgehog 2006_!)

_Stage 1: Floran Forest_

_Mission: Make your way to Flora Broccoli Mines!_

_"All troops, ready arms and secure route to the broccoli mines. Keep these brats at bay at all costs."_

Floro Sapien troopers charged at the duo, lashing vine-whips. Nigel's wrist was caught by a whip, but Ava sliced him free and started to cut away other whips as they were lashed. The Floro Sapiens then launched their own spiraling heads at the duo, and they came back like boomerangs. Nigel grabbed one of the heads and tossed it to bounce around and knock out more Florans. They hurried ahead as they spotted another truck of piles of broccoli. Ava’s Heart Star flew over and shot lasers, destroying the shipment and creating a huge cloud of smoke.

The duo went down a pathway over the trench where some Irken soldiers had Floran kids chained by their legs and forced to mine. The Irkens caught notice of the operatives' appearance and began to shoot them. Ava spun her blades and deflected shots while Nigel shot the Irkens with his S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. Afterwards, Ava dashed over and sliced the chains with a flash of her blades, and the children cheered. Overhead, an Irken cargo ship was passing by. Ava held onto Nigel as he launched his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. onto the bottom of the ship, allowing the two to swing across. They dropped and landed on the other side of the trench and continued into the forest.

The Floran Forest was covered by trees that towered as high as skyscrapers and shrubs and bushes so big, it made it difficult for the duo to see the way. Ava sliced their way open as they proceeded across, however, some bushes came to life, with blaring red eyes and sharp fangs. The evil M. Bushes snarled and leapt at the operatives, but Nigel shot them dead in the mouth while Ava sliced them in half. They continued their way past the shrubs and crouched down when they spotted two Floran soldiers, holding whips as they talked to each other.

“Hey, did you catch that new episode of “All My Sprouts”?”

“Yeah, and to be honest, I think Chikita Le Peela losing her appeal. One time she was on that corno, and-“ Nigel and Ava decided not to let them finish as they jumped out and wiped the two out. Afterwards, they continued across the forest and stopped when they reached the ledge over a small gorge. Several Irken broccoli trucks were driving through the wide gorge, so Nigel and Ava decided to hop onto the nearest one.

“Blech! This is gross.” Nigel whined.

“At least _you’re_ fully armored. Come on, let’s get moving.” The duo began to hop across the many truckloads as they made their way to the front. Floran soldiers were rising from the broccoli mounds, wielding spray guns that were filled with a broccoli gas. Nigel and Ava rolled to the side and avoided the gas as Ava tossed a sword and sliced one, the sword coming back like a boomerang. Nigel kept shooting the others until they were down, and the group continued jumping across. Nigel saw they were coming by some tall trees and grabbed Ava as he launched his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. up to a branch. He pulled them over and swung them up other branches before taking land along the ledge of the tallest tree around.

“Think we’ll see the mines from here?” Nigel asked.

Ava pulled out her-

**Galactic Kids Next Door: M.A.P.  
Missing Absently Possible**

-and studied it. “Hm… it’s a little to the east of here. There is a vine up this tree we can use to zipline across the forest.”

 

They proceeded across the pathway around the tree as Irken soldiers ambushed them. Nigel tried to shoot them, but an Irken fired a goo gun and clogged his S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. They tried to stick Ava, but the Glomourian child rolled over and avoided their shots as she kicked one’s goo gun up and kicked the Irken across the face. She ducked the shot of another Irken and ran to slice his weapon in half, then kicked the child soldier over the edge. She then went to cut the goo off Nigel’s weapon as they pressed forward. Nigel shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull them up to a higher ledge, where more soldiers were threatening to push Floran kids over a diving point. Nigel tapped an Irken on the shoulder from behind and punched him in the face when he turned, knocking him over. Ava then proceeded to kick the other Irken upside the face, causing him to fall over.

The Florans cheered as the duo went over to climb a vine wall on the side of the tree. Some large spiders were in their way, but Nigel was able to shoot them away with his blaster. As they climbed along to their left, an Irken ship hovered by and released a laser at the vine wall ahead of them. The ship drew a circle around the wall ahead of them several times before that entire chunk of wall crumbled. _“Heee-yeah! You up for a game of Kick the Slurm?”_

_“HECK YEAH!”_

_“WHEEEE-YOOO!”_ The cheering Irkens flew away in their ship.

“Oh, great. How do we get across now?” Nigel asked.

“I got it covered.” As Ava spoke, she grabbed one of her swords and tossed it into the broken gape in the wall. She kicked off the vine wall and onto her sword, using it to bounce to the other side. “Well, come on!”

Nigel mimicked her actions and bounced the sword, getting by her side. Afterwards, Ava held her hand open, and her sword flew into it. “Wow! Cool swords!”

“It’s easy when we have a natural bond with our swords.” The duo continued across the vine wall and landed on a safe ledge. Before they moved onward, they approached a strange, mechanical stand that was on the ledge. The stand opened up and revealed some equipment as it showed a hologram of some kind of toad-like alien.

_“’ey, what’s up, guys! Numbuh 20x40 here, head of the Galactic Kids Next Door 20x40 technology office! Numbuh 256 wanted us to make sure her operatives were prepared wherever they went. You want any weapons or ammo, we’d be happy to give some! ‘Course, this stuff don’t come cheap. Find us some Bolts, and THEN we’ll talk. Oh! I see you already got a thousand. That’s enough ta buy this new B.O.O.M.E.R. glove. Interested?”_

“Well… it may come in handy.” Nigel shrugged.

_“Cool! Just hold your Infi-Space Cube under the scan, and we’ll take them Bolts off your hands.”_

Nigel pulled his Infi-Space Cube out of his pocket and held it under a glowing point. Instantly, a thousand Bolts were sucked from the cube and into the stand. _“Ni-ice! Okay, it’s yours. Enjoy!”_

The stand closed as Nigel grabbed his new weapon.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: B.O.O.M.E.R.  
Bombs Obviously Oppose Many Enemies Regularly**

After purchasing the item, Nigel used the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to swing them across more aligned branches, landing them on another ledge. They were finally at the long zipline-vine that seemed to across over yards of forest. “Umm, maybe this is a little dangerous.” Ava said, noticing how high they were.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared of heights.” Nigel smirked.

“Pfft, I can think of worse things to be afraid of. We’re just gonna go for it?”

“I don’t see why not.” With that, both gripped onto the zipline and excitedly zoomed over the towering woods, wind blowing against Nigel and Ava’s faces. When they were zipping below the tree tops, the vine suddenly snapped, and they were about to fall into a massive Venus flytrap. Nigel immediately shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to a branch and pulled them to safe ground just as the flytrap snapped its mouth shut. The duo pressed further through the forest as Hunter Destroyer robots stood up and took aim on the kids. They rapidly fired bullets, but the two dodged to the side as Nigel tossed a grenade from his B.O.O.M.E.R. at the first robot, blowing it up in one hit. The other one was fixed on Ava, who spun her blades to deflect the bullets, as Nigel tossed a grenade at it and blew it up as well.

The kids climbed a ladder to the ledge of another tree and crossed a rickety bridge over a trench down below. From the other side, Irken soldiers came across in large, mechanical wheels, determined to run the ops over. Nigel quickly tossed two grenades at each of the wheels, blowing them up when they were nearly inches away from crushing the two. The kids continued across the bridge and climbed down on the other side.

“Ergh. I think one of the parts of those wheels scraped me a little.” Nigel grunted.

Ava looked around and spotted some thin, dangly, wormlike plants sprouting from the ground up ahead, hurrying over to one. She touched the wormy plant, and it made a hum as it dropped a heart onto Ava. “Check it out, they’re Health Plants! They give you health if you pet them.”

Nigel smiled and walked over to his own Health Plant. However, when he petted it, a mouth of sharp fangs opened up and snapped his arm. “YOW!” Ava quickly ran over to slice the plant.

“My mistake. Some of these are Hurt Plants.”

“Ugh. Let’s just go, we should be close.”

They passed through a few more shrubs until they were at another pathway where broccoli trunks were rolling across. They looked and saw the trucks were coming out of a dark cave ahead. “Hey, there’s the mine!” Nigel whispered.

“Target _sighted_.” Ava smirked. After waiting for the last truck to leave, they came out and hurried toward the mine entrance. However, one last broccoli truck came out and stopped before the operatives. The truck suddenly transformed into a giant robot, its shipment of broccoli in a backpack on its back. The robot held its arms out and fired broccoli out of its wrist cannons, the two dodging as Nigel tossed a grenade at its left foot, doing a little damage. The robot was able to hit him with a broccoli piece, causing the operative to become dizzy from the poisonous substance. The robot was about to stomp on him, but Ava tossed a sword through the back of Nigel’s suit, sticking him over to a tree. Afterwards, the Glomourian child ran over, and as the robot tried to shoot her, she stabbed her other sword through a broccoli piece, caught it, leapt on its arm, then kicked into the cockpit. She shoved the broccoli down the Irken’s mouth, causing him to grow sick.

Ava flipped out as the robot toppled over. When Nigel recovered and brought Ava her sword back, the two smirked and did a handshake before turning to enter the darkness of the mines. (End song.)

**Sector V Treehouse**

Back at Sector V’s Treehouse, the team was lounging around in the living room, watching TV, still upset over their recent defeat. They were quiet until Numbuh 3 spoke: “I’m bored!”

“What do you think Numbuh 1’s doing right now?” replied Hoagie.

“Probably hangin’ out with his new alien buddies on some planet, fighting off evil aliens on some sooper dangerous mission, having the time of his life.” Replied an angry Wally.

“You’re probably right.” Replied Abby. “He’s probably havin’ so much fun up there, he probably forgot about us by now.”

“Yeah.” Replied Hoagie. “And by now, he probably thinks their weapons are cooler than mine. My weapons are probably in the scrap heap right now.”

“Don’t say that, guys!” replied Kuki. “After all we’ve been through, you really think he would forget us?”

“I dunno. But if he missed us, don’t you think he’d be writin’ letters, or somethin’? I mean, they must have SOME way of delivering letters!” Wally yelled.

“But what if he’s been trying to send us letters, but his leader wouldn’t allow it?”

“But why would Dimentia care if he sent letters, anyway?” Replied the pilot. “I mean, since we already know about GKND anyway, there’s no real point in keeping him from sending us letters. If you ask me, he forgot about us. Not just ‘us’ us, but everyone! Numbuh 10, Numbuh 362, his parents!”

“Shut up, Numbuh 2!” Exclaimed Kuki, getting angry. “Don’t any of you have faith? Numbuh 1 would NEVER forget us! Even if Dimentia forced him to, he’d never EVER forget us! And besides, he had to leave! The children of the universe need him!”

“Well, what about us?!” shouted Wally, tears in his eyes. “We live in the universe! We need him! We all do! If he cared about us, he never woulda left! But he doesn’t. All he cares about is his stupid GKND! I mean, does this ‘adulthood’ disease even exist?!”

Numbuh 3 thought for a moment. She was actually beginning to think Numbuh 4 might be right (shocker). “Well, it does sound kinda dumb. But I’m sure Numbuh 1 still remembers us. He probably just…” Kuki stopped, noticing the glum expressions on her team’s faces. “Mmm…” she could only feel as upset as the rest of them.

“Ahhh. Poor, insolent humans. Their tears flow like that of an infant.” The team’s expressions lit up as they looked around the room, looking for the source of the voice.

“Up there!” The team looked up to where Numbuh 3 had pointed. Sure enough, the young Irken invader, known as Zim, was clutching the ceiling, wearing his disguise, looking down on the team. Zim dropped from the ceiling, and landed in the center of the living room on his feet.

The team finally got up and drew out several weapons and began firing at Zim. Zim began rolling and dodging the attacks until he made his way to the gang and was able to knock the weapons out of their hands. The team charged toward the alien and successfully tackled him to the ground. “We have you now, skirt boy!” exclaimed Wally. “Now, who are you and what are doing in our tree house?!”

“GIR!” As Zim called, his robot minion came flying in through the window using his built-in rockets. He flew down and shot through Sector V, grabbing his master off the floor. Once Zim was in the air, he pulled out his goo gun which the Tallest sent over and fired at the team of four, sticking them to the floor. The team tried to break free, but the goo held them down tight. “Foolish Earth creatures!” exclaimed Zim. “Did you really think you stood a chance against the glorious wrath of ZIM?!” Zim hopped off GIR and got back on the floor. “But thanks to you, my suspicions have been _realized_! The puny Earth human, known as Number 1, is indeed with the Galactic Kids Next Door!”

“Hey!” replied Abby. “How do you know about the…” her sentence was cut short as Zim threw off his wig and ripped off his lens, revealing his true self. The team gaped at the sight of the alien.

“My name is Zim! I am an invader from Planet Irk sent here by my Almighty Tallest to DESTROY you filthy Earth children, so that glorious adulthood will spread across the planet!” The team remained speechless. “You see, for as long as we can remember, the adults of Planet Irk have been trying to spread glorious adulthood to the children of the universe. But only one thing remained in our way: the Galactic Kids Next Door! Yes, the one group of children that resisted the glory that was adulthood. They traveled the universe, fighting off our rule, convincing others to join them and make their own adult-fighting organizations! But they will _pay_! They will RUE the day they ever crossed the Irken Empire!”

“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Numbuh 2. “Why would you want to spread ‘glorious adulthood’ if you’re a KID?!”

“Because, puny Earth pig, unlike most children throughout the universe, the children of Irk are smart. They know that the goal of every child should be to grow up! And they are going to do whatever it takes to realize that goal, as well as to make every other child realize that goal. So the Tallest sent each worthy Irken child to their own planet to conquer and spread the great word of adult tyranny. But while everyone else gets to go ahead and conquer, I’m ordered to merely spy on the humans and find their weak points, just so the armada can come and do the conquering!”

“Well, sounds like these Tall Guys don’t care about you that much!” joked Numbuh 2.

“SILENCE! But when I heard the Earth pig on your Nightly News talk about the ‘missing operative’, I knew something was afoot! And, as I suspected, this Earth boy was taken by GKND!”

“Yeah, so Numbuh 1 was recruited into them. So what?”

“SO, I plan to find this ‘Number 1’ and destroy him, so I can prove to the Tallest that I am capable of so much more than _spying_. And the reason I came here was so I could find something that belonged to him and use it to track him down!”

“Well, you’re out of luck.” smirked Numbuh 2. “We gave Numbuh 1 all of his belongings just before he left!”

Zim noticed the sunglasses that Abby was wearing. “Nice sunglasses.”

“Uhhh, thanks?”

“You wouldn’t mind if I… STEAL IT!” And with that, Zim snatched the glasses off of Abby’s face.

“Hey!”

“Foolish Earth creatures! I saw the picture of Number 1 on your Nightly News program! I know he wears sunglasses! And now I will use these to track him down and bring him to his impending _doom_!”

“YAY! DOOM!” exclaimed Gir.

“Even if you do find him, you don’t stand a chance!” said Numbuh 2. “He didn’t become galactic operative for nothing!”

“Perhaps. But he’s never tangled with the likes of ZIM! When I get through with him, he will look worse than the result you’d get for mixing a child with a GLOMOURIAN WORM-DOG!!” And with that, Zim laughed maniacally as he hopped on GIR’s back, who activated his rockets and took off to the sky.

As the team watched Zim take off (still stuck to the ground by his goo), Numbuh 2 thought about his exiting line. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Numbuh 5 thinks there’s somethin’ wrong with that kid.” replied Abby.

The blue-eyed shadow being that watched from under the couch thinks he’s seen enough.

 

**Well, there you have it. Chapter 3, and it’s first stage. This was meant to be longer, but I figured this would be a good cliffhanger. Plus, I spent a good amount of time writing this. Next time, we will begin the first dungeon. See you later.**


	4. The Menace of "King" Croacus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel and Ava do battle with King Croacus. Upon victory, they find something important...

**Well, howdy, pardners! It’s time we git started with the next chapter! Remember: I own nothin’ but Ava and Dimentia. (But not the people they’re based off of.) So as we begin the next dungeon, play the “Floro Caverns” theme from _Super Paper Mario_! Well, I say, here we go!**

**_Chapter 4: The Menace of “King” Croacus_ **

_Dungeon 1: Floro Broccoli Mines_

_Mission: Plant bombs around to blow the mines and stop King Croacus!_

“Blech. I can already smell it from here.” Nigel said, waving his hand by his nose.

“Some areas might be toxic. Watch yourself.” Ava cautioned.

The kids began down the first corridor where Floro Sapiens were watering small sprouts of the glowing green vegetables. When they saw the operatives coming, they drew their vine-whips and started to lash at them, but Ava twirled her blades and caused the whips to cut as they came, then Nigel tossed grenades to blow up the broccoli sprouts. There was a broken chunk of the floor ahead, but Nigel launched his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull the two across it. Up ahead, there were Irken soldiers using giant drillers to dig into the ground, but when they saw the operatives approach, they aimed redirected their drills and approached the operatives slowly. They launched the drills at the duo, who easily dodged the slow projectiles, before the Irkens pulled out their goo guns. Nigel saw some stalactites above the Irkens and shot his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. at them, causing them to drop and crush the Irkens.

“The first spot is in here.” Ava said, pointing to a wooden door along the wall. They entered the chamber and found that the floor was covered with the toxic vegetable. The presence of it was already making the operatives feel weary as they released clouds of green toxic. There was a snaky pathway through the broccoli, and a few Floro Sapiens standing guard, who were all asleep. On the other side of the room, a tall, pump-like machine seemed to be pushing through a hole in the ground as green gas flowed through four pipes up through the ceiling.

Not feeling the energy to fight in this toxic, the operatives carefully wobbled their way around the curved path, careful not to wake any sleeping enemies. When they were nearing the end, they had to squeeze to the right of a sleeping soldier. Ava was able to walk by, but Nigel accidentally bumped into him before moving on. “Huh- Wh-Whuh-“ The Floran noticed the two limping by. “Oh, please don’t tell King Croacus I was sleeping!”

“Mmmmnnn…” Nigel mumbled.

When they were finally out of the broccoli pathway, Ava already latched the bomb to the machine as it began beeping. “That’s one. Let’s find the others.” She whispered. She and Nigel went over a pathway that went around the broccoli path on the side of the room, then dropped down to the doorway. They went back into the main corridor and continued along the path. A pile of boulders was blocking their way, but Nigel easily tossed a grenade from his B.O.O.M.E.R. and blew them away. Immediately, Irken soldiers saw them up ahead and started to fire small bombs from their weapons, which floated over and exploded bullets into multiple directions. Nigel and Ava jumped the bullets as Ava tossed her swords like boomerangs and sliced two of the weapons before her swords came back. Nigel tossed a grenade at another Irken, but he fired a bomb before flipping to the side, the bullets successfully damaging Nigel. The bald Brit grabbed another grenade and tossed it between the two soldiers before they could fire again, knocking them both out.

The operatives pressed forward and found another hole in the ground. Nigel wanted to shoot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to a stalactite, but it already collapsed. Ava just decided to toss a sword to stick below the ledge on the other side, jumping across first and bouncing up with her sword, with Nigel following her movements. Ava called her sword back before they entered another wooden door. Inside, they stood upon a safe ledge over a floor that was infested with vine snakes. The pump machine was safe on a platform in the center of the pit. Nigel saw a bunch of stalactites up above and decided to shoot a few of them down with his blaster, making a pathway as they stuck up from the ground. The operatives carefully jumped across the unstable platforms to get across. When Nigel made it to the center, Ava nearly fell off, but Nigel grabbed her by the hands and pulled her up as the snakes tried to get her.

Nigel latched the bomb to the machine and it began beeping. The Brit shot down a few more stalactites on the ceiling so the duo could get back across. When they entered the main corridor again, there was another deep hole in the ground. They found a long piece of wood leaned against the wall, and both operatives grabbed hold of it and laid both sides on opposite ends of the pit. As they carefully walked over, Ava took notice of a strange, large hive sticking up from the ground, covered with many holes. “Watch out, Nigel! That’s a Tetramite hive. Those little buggers eat anything. …NOT the best time to be wearing sandals, huh?”

Once they crossed the wooden plank, a swarm of Tetramites immediately crawled out. The duo ran and jumped onto a platform to avoid being eaten by the tiny critters as they tried to jump up to them. Nigel and Ava stepped back, then ran and leapt over the cave critters, then quickly hurried over a worn-out minecart track. The Tetramites followed, but the two jumped their way up some stone steps, and the creatures couldn’t follow. The two appeared to be at the end of the long corridor as they entered two more wooden double-doors.

Their next room was wide open and circular shaped, but still kind of small. There was a wide archway that led to another doorway, but the archway was blocked by a huge vine wall with a closed bud in the center. As they stepped to the center of the room, the bud opened and revealed a large, red rose. The rose began shaking wildly as it dropped six spores around the ground. The spores grew into white roses which began coughing spore bombs rapidly at the operatives. The two dodged the spore bombs as Ava ran to slice the roses. When she defeated all of them, the Rose Guardian opened again and looked around in utter shock. When it was exposed, Nigel took this time to shoot it.

The rose released some more spores, which this time grew into Floran troops. The Floro Sapiens spewed toxic broccoli gas from spray guns and stunned the duo. Afterwards, they caught the two within vine-whips and sent them flying to the other side. The operatives recovered as Nigel hurriedly shot the Florans from a safe distance. Ava ran forward to slice their weapons and knock them out, and the Rose Guardian awakened to see its soldiers defeated. Nigel gave it a few more hits with his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. before finally deciding to toss a grenade. The explosion defeated the monster completely, causing it to shrivel up and vanish. As it disappeared, however, a strange gun with a glass container dropped from it, and Nigel curiously picked it up. “Hey, look at this.”

“It’s 20x40. The Irkens must’ve stolen it.” Ava figured.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: A.B.S.O.R.B.O.  
Absorbs Benign Substances Often Reaching Better Objectives**

Afterwards, the duo of operatives proceeded through the double-doors. They climbed a small ladder onto a ledge, where another broccoli pump waited on the other side of a small pit. However, a Tetramite hive was safely rested next to it. Ava looked around until she spotted some kind of orange, gooey substance dripping through the wall next to her. “Nigel, check it out.” He walked over and observed the substance. “It’s Breegus Nectar. It’s a candy-like substance that _really_ gets those Tetramites crazy.”

Nigel stuck his finger in the substance and licked it off. “Hm… a little tangy.”

“You know that stuff comes from-“

“Please don’t say it.” Nigel used his A.B.S.O.R.B.O. to suck in and fill the container with the nectar. He shot it to the other side by the wall, and the Tetramites immediately crawled out and started chewing on it. During their distraction, the operatives jumped over and latched another bomb onto the broccoli pump. They hurried through he double-doors before the Tetramites finished eating.

The next corridor was more wide and more vast. The kids walked down a worn-out minecart track to a lower pathway, where Tetramites immediately crawled out to feast on them. Nigel shot some nectar over and drew their attention away, allowing the duo to get past. They hurried and jumped a platform to the next pathway, but when the Tetramites finished eating, they used the minecart track to cross over and chase the duo. Nigel once again shot some nectar over to distract them, and they fell for it.

“The next pump is through here.” Ava said as they approached some double-doors that were blocked by poison broccoli. “But how are we supposed to get through?”

Nigel looked to the Tetramites and smirked. When the critters finished eating, he shot some nectar onto the broccoli, and the bugs crawled over to eat it. As they did so, they ate away at the broccoli, and the operatives were able to get through afterwards. In this next room, the broccoli pump was just a few feet away, but it was protected by a purple archway that was protected by a bunch of purple tentacles. “That’s Voltan Ivy.” Ava said. “It’s some kind of plant that’s immune to any sort of ammunition. It’s really thick, too. ‘Course, it might go away if you tickled it hard enough.”

Nigel looked across a series of platforms to see another Tetramite hive. The operative proceeded to jump across the small platforms until he was close enough to the hive. There was a minecart track going along the wall, so he fired some nectar onto the track and attracted the little critters. Nigel kept sticking a trail of Breegus Nectar along the track and got the Tetramites to follow it. He was able to lead them over to the other side of the room, and afterwards stuck more nectar onto the Voltan Ivy. When the Tetramites started crawling all over it, the tentacle plant became incredibly tickled, and it retracted into the wall. Nigel shot more nectar to draw the Tetramites away, allowing the operatives to stick a timed bomb to the pump.

They went back to the main corridor and used Nigel’s G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull themselves across another pit. As they landed on the other side, some Vine Snakes crawled out of holes in the wall, but Nigel shot them with his blaster while Ava cut them with her swords. Up ahead was another Tetramite hive. As they stepped closer, an Irken troop jumped out from behind a rock and shot and trapped Nigel in his own Breegus Nectar. The little bugs crawled out, already attracted to the candy around Nigel. Ava ran to knock out the Irken before hurriedly grabbing the A.B.S.O.R.B.O. from Nigel’s hand, shooting nectar onto the Irken and getting the Tetramites to attack him instead. Nigel broke free of the nectar before the two continued.

The duo climbed into a minecart and used it to roll along down the track over the chasm. They went up and down several slopes before an Irken shot some nectar over the track up ahead, causing them to get stuck. Tetramites crawled over from a nearby hive, but Nigel shot more nectar to draw them away. He tossed a grenade to knock the Irken over the chasm before shooting down at the nectar blocking their path, allowing them to keep going. They swerved along the curvy track as Irken soldiers rode out on other minecarts that were on other tracks. The operatives’ cart drove by several Tetramite hives as the Irkens kept shooting Breegus Nectar to block their path. Nigel shot his own nectar to draw them away, giving the cart enough time to break free. When more Irkens tried to shoot at them, Nigel had to keep shooting them down, allowing the cart to keep moving without trouble.

The cart went over a loop-di-loop before coming to a stop at the other side of the corridor. The kids stepped off and entered the double-doors to another room with a pump. There, a Floro Sapien was happily watering a patch of grass on the ground, making broccoli sprout up. Nigel tried to shoot the Floran, but he sunk beneath the grass and stayed safe behind the broccoli. They saw another Tetramite hive and stuck nectar to the broccoli, drawing them over to eat it, but as they did, the Floran simply came out and watered it some more, making the broccoli constantly grow back and scare the Tetramites away. It went back below ground afterwards, but Nigel shot more nectar and got the critters to come and eat more broccoli. When the Floran came out, Ava quickly tossed a sword and sliced him in half. “And I was finally gonna win the grand prize for ‘Smelliest Broccoli Garden’… Haaaw.” He fainted.

After getting the Tetramites to eat away the last of the broccoli, the operatives could safely come through and stick a bomb to the next pump. They left the Tetramites alone and proceeded to enter the next wooden doorway. They were at a straight, empty corridor that seemed to go through several yards. “Last one is straight down this hall.” Ava said.

“Maybe we’ll find this Croacus, too.” The operatives progressed down the hall with no hazards to get in their way. (End song.)

 

“Well-p, so far, so good.” Ava said, studying her M.A.P.. “We just set this last one, activate the detonator, and BOOM!”

“Great!” replied Nigel. “Where does it go?”

“According to this, it goes in King Croacus’ chamber, which is just down this hall.”

“Of course. They never make it easy for us, do they?”

“No they don’t. But it isn’t as fun when it’s too easy, is it?”

Nigel chuckled. “No, it isn’t!” With that, the duo walked down the halls of the mines, onward to Croacus’ chamber. “So, Ev--er, Ava… how long have you been working in GKND?” Nigel asked suddenly.

“I don’t know. About 40 years.”

Her answer surprised Nigel. “40 years?! But you look about 10! How can you be working here that long and still be a kid?!”

“I guess it’s because working up here prevents the disease from catching on to us so quickly.”

Nigel raised an eyebrow. “So, the disease really does exist?”

“Well, I’m not really sure, to be honest. On my planet, we were taught that people age due to the theory of evolution, and that it’s a natural thing.”

“That’s what they did on my planet, too.”

“Yeah, but when Dimentia came and recruited me into her team, and told me about the disease, that’s when I became confused. At first, I thought she was crazy and I didn’t really believe it, but then she introduced me to… _something_ that kept me from aging for a long period of time… and, well, I figured that maybe she was right.”

“What did she introduce you to that kept you like that?”

“She usually doesn’t want us telling new recruits. Not until the time is right.”

“Well, THAT figures.” He said to himself. “Speaking of which, when you left your planet, did you have to leave anyone important in your life behind?”

Ava gave a small frown. “I had to leave my friends and family behind. They let me say good-bye to my parents, but they didn’t let me see my friends again. And ever since I left, I’ve been feeling really bad. But I thought if I could help get rid of this disease, if it exists, that’d make up for leaving them. Is there anyone special you left behind?”

Nigel gave a frown as well. “Well, yeah, my story’s similar to yours. Only difference is they let me say good-bye to my teammates. Of course, there were a few other people I wanted to see again.”

“Like who?”

“Well, lots of people. But most of all, I really wanted to see…”

“Hm?” Ava rose an eyebrow.

 _“…Rachel.”_ He said quietly. They were silent for a moment until Numbuh 1 spoke. “It makes me wonder if I made the right choice to join this whole thing. It makes me wonder what’s more important in life.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore I guess. We joined this thing, and, as far as her royal clowniness is concerned, we’re staying.”

Nigel gave a small chuckle at Ava’s nickname for Dimentia. “I guess so. But on the bright side to all this, at least I got to meet you. As far as I can tell, you’re the only alien I work well with.”

Ava smiled at this. “Am I a good replacement for your cousin?”

Nigel chuckled. “No! No matter what Dimentia says, I don’t think anyone here can replace them.”

“I can respect that.”

The two were almost to the chamber of King Croacus. “You know what’s funny?” asked Nigel. “I used to think that adults were created by children to be their slaves until they ended up rebelling. And over time, I was starting to think that that idea was crazy!”

Ava giggled at this. “Well, it sounds like Dimentia’s ways were already rubbing off on you BEFORE you met!”

“Yeah! And how ironic is it that I think I still think it’s crazy even AFTER she told me about the disease!” The two continued to laugh down the halls of the mines until they finally reached a big, blue door, with strange lines drawn on it. “Is this the place?”

“Yep! According to the map, this is King Croacus’ chamber.”

“Wow, that sure took a while!”

“You think we’ve been going in circles the whole time we were talking?” The two stood and thought about that for a moment until they finally decided to shrug it off.

“Alright!” exclaimed Nigel. “Let’s go!” And with that, the two bursted through the door.

Once they were in, Ava drew her two swords and Nigel drew his S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. They caught the two robots from before watering a rather large rose. The two robots turned their attention to the two operatives.

“Holy hundreds of evergreens!” exclaimed the cowboy, Cubot. “I never woulda guessed y’all would make it this far!”

“It wasn’t that hard really.” replied Nigel. “Now, put your hands up!”

“Sorry,” replied Orbot, “but I’m afraid that’s not our call. You’ll have to speak with King Croacus for that.”

“Fine! Where is he?”

“Oh ho ho ho! Do you not notice? He is here before your very eyes!” As he spoke, the large rose they were watering opened up to reveal a yellow face with blue eyes, purple eyelids, and long eye-lashes. (Play “King Croacus Appears” from _Super Paper Mario_!)

“Oooo-wee-ooo-wee-ooo!” The rose spoke in a female voice. “Where, oh, WHERE are my pretties?”

“So…” began Ava, “YOU’RE King Croacus?!”

“Mmm, yes I am. And who might YOU hideously clashing things be?”

The two remained speechless, still disgusted by the fact that the “king” looked and talked more like a queen. They just shook it off and Numbuh 1 said, “We are Numbuhs 1 and 10,000 of the Galactic Kids Next Door, and we’re here to put a stop to your broccoli loving plans!”

“So, YOU’RE the snot-nosed, little children that the Almighty Tallest warned me about! Well, it doesn’t matter because you’ll never get a chance to blow up these mines! NOO-WEE-OOO! But I assure you that the Tallest and I have a much more efficient plan to dispose of the broccoli. And THAT is to force kids, like you, to EAT IT!”

“Why are you siding with the Tallest, anyway?” asked Ava.

“OOO-WEE-OOO! Because, my dear, they plan to bring a little order to the misbehaved children of this universe! And I plan to assist them in any way I can, even if it means destroying you! Thus, you are warned.”

“You won’t unleash this broccoli to the children of the universe if the Kids Next Door can help it!” exclaimed Nigel, ready for battle.

“Then, you will perish!”

 _“Now, wait just a second, King Croacus! We have something to say to this baldy!”_ (End song.)

“Hey! Who said that?” asked Nigel as everyone looked around for the source of the voice. The room began to quake until a part of the ceiling exploded. The smoke cleared and revealed an enormous SIR Unit with six arms, which held various types of weapons, a red eye and a purple eye, and a glass dome. The glass dome opened up, revealing none other than the Almighty Tallest.

The Tallest jumped out of their giant SIRbot and landed in front of the two operatives, staring down at them. “So, this is the famous Number 1, Earth representative of the Galactic Kids Next Door.” Spoke the red Tallest.

“Funny.” Said the purple. “I expected someone… TALLER!” And with that, the two Tallest laughed. The Tallest have never actually seen him before and vice versa.

“Who are you?!” asked an annoyed Nigel.

“Well, I’m Red and he’s Purple. We’re the Almighty Tallest.” Answered Red.

“I figured you were the Tallest, but what are your names?”

“No, really.” Answered Purple. “He’s Red, and I’m Purple. Those are our names.”

“Wow. REALLY creative names!” replied Nigel sarcastically.

“Oh YEAH?!” shot back Purple. “Well, what’s YOUR name, shorty?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?!”

“Yeah…” replied Red with a serious glare. “Just what is your name, anyway?”

Nigel smirked. _“Nigel Uno.”_

The Tallest were quiet for a moment until Purple spoke. “HEY! That is a good name.”

“Yeah…, it is a good name. But we’re still tall!” Red said.

“You’re not THAT tall!”

“We’re taller than YOU, shorty!” Shot back Purple.”

At this remark, Nigel looked down to see that the Tallest were hovering a few inches off the ground. “Your feet aren’t even touching the ground!”

The Tallest looked down to notice they were floating. Once again, Purple spoke, “SO?! It’s cool! We don’t see YOU doing it!”

“Oh, just forget it!” replied Red. “Listen, Baldy: you can fight us all you want. But no matter what you do, we won’t stop until every kid in this universe has embraced the glory that is adulthood. Including you galactic brats. But for right now: King Croacus: destroy them!”

“Yes, my Tallest.” And with that, King Croacus’ stem grew to the height of the room. A few more stems sprouted from her, er, his, er, ITS body and sprouted block-shaped heads with faces that looked like Croacus’. A bunch of vines sprouted from its body as well and covered the room. 

Once he was done with the transformation, the Tallest floated back into their giant robot, followed by Orbot and Cubot. The dome was about to close, but not before Cubot thought back to their conversation about double negatives outside and shouted, “OH! I GIT IT!” And with that, the giant robot took off into the sky.

Once they were gone, Croacus spoke: “Now then…” a vine snuck up behind Ava and swiped the detonator, “shall we dance?” King Croacus rose one of the block heads and attempted to crush the two operatives, who ended up jumping out of the way. (Play the King Croacus Battle Theme from _Super Paper Mario_!)

_Boss fight: King Croacus_

Ava began swinging her swords and chopping incoming vines, while Nigel just fired his blaster at them. A vine snuck up, grabbed him by the legs, and held him up, while another vine whipped him from behind. “Hold on, Nigel!” Ava exclaimed as she hopped off one of the block heads and cut the vine holding Nigel.

“Thanks, Ava!”

“We have to get back that detonator.”

Nigel saw two block heads coming toward them. “Come on!” They dodged the block heads as they hit the ground and jumped onto them as they were going back up. They jumped from block to block as they were getting higher up the large rose monster, dodging any vines it throws. Nigel finally jumped onto Croacus’ head, nearly reaching the vine holding the detonator that was still too high to reach. Nigel put his two hands together and held them open. Ava made her way up the beast and hopped onto Nigel’s hands, and he flung her upwards, but Croacus pulled the detonator away, and Ava fell down.

“Crud… huh?” Nigel looked down to Croacus’ head and saw a strange, red device with the Irken symbol stuck to the back of his head. “What the heck is this--AHH!” His sentence was cut short as a vine whipped him from behind, knocking him off. The orange block head was about to crush him until Ava jumped and sliced it off the stem.

“Time to cut this weed!” Ava exclaimed as she started to slice away King Croacus’ stem, the plant king’s ahead dropping closer to the operatives. The upper half of his stem simply reattached with the lower half as he closed his face into his rose. The block heads kept trying to smash the operatives, but they rolled around and avoided them.

“Come out now, my dearies.” King Croacus called. In the corner of a room, Tetramites crawled out of a hive, ready to feast on the operatives. Nigel tried to shoot Breegus Nectar, but saw that his gun was empty. He saw more nectar leaking from the wall, so he hurried over to suck some in. When the Tetramites crawled over, Nigel stylishly leapt over and stuck some nectar onto Croacus. The Tetramites got all over him/her, and the king was being tickled. “Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm.” He chuckled in his womanly voice, his rose opening. “Please, dearies, one at a time. OOH!” Ava wrapped her legs around his stem and began slashing at his face with her swords. “MMMMM.” The plant king smacked the alien off with a block head as Croacus then shook away the Tetramites. His face went back into his rose as he began dancing around, spewing a series of spores.

The spores landed on the ground and grew into either Floro Sapiens or Bomb Flowers. The Bomb Flowers rapidly spat bomb spores that the operatives dodged, only to be grabbed by the Sapiens’ vine-whips and chucked away. Nigel jumped to his feet and tossed grenades at the enemies to defeat them. When the Tetramites crawled back out, Nigel latched a nectar piece onto Croacus’ stem, drawing them over to nibble away and tickle the king. As the king giggled, Nigel aimed his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and shot his exposed face.

“Let’s just latch this last bomb and get out of here.” Ava suggested, holding up the last timed bomb.

However, a vine grabbed the last bomb and dropped it into Croacus’ mouth, allowing him to swallow it. “Mmm, the failure of my enemies is as tasty as nectar is to these darlings.”

Ava smirked at this. “Not your best idea.” And with that, she pushed the detonator. King Croacus gave a worried expression, realizing what he just did.

_“Detonation activated. Self-destruct in 10. 9…”_

“And that wasn’t MY best idea.” Said Ava, realizing HER mistake. “What do we do now?!”

“Boy, it’s times like this I wish I kept my rocket shoes.” Nigel said, worriedly.

“LOOK!” Ava pointed in the direction of the severed orange block head, which began to shake. The head popped, revealing an orange Wisp that was shaped like a rocket.

The Wisp shot into Nigel’s body, making him glow the same color as the Wisp. “What the--“, he tried to say as his shoes began to activate like a rocket. Ava quickly grabbed onto him, and they screamed as they took off shooting through the hole that was left by the Tallests’ robot, just in time for the bombs to go off. (End song.)

Nigel and Ava safely shot out of the exploding mine with barely a scratch and landed back on the ground. A puff of smoke came out of the hole, spewing the severed, burnt head of King Croacus. “HA HA! We did it!” exclaimed Ava as the two operatives high-fived. “You know, we make a pretty good team.”

“Yeah, I guess we do!”

“…Hey, what’s that?” The two operatives noticed a strange, green light emitting from the hole. The smoke from the explosion cleared, and a green star came out of the hole. The star drifted above Croacus’ head, sprinkled some dust on him, and shot towards the sky.

**Star Haven**

Dimentia was walking toward the Star Sanctuary, when suddenly, a green star shot past her and into the shrine. Dimentia ran in after it and noticed it rested itself onto one of the seven pedestals lined up around the room. Dimentia stared at the green star, and gave a wicked smile.

**Planet Flora**

Back on Flora, the two operatives stared as Croacus’ head went back to its original color and rose in midair. “My, my! That was quite an ordeal. But next time, could you be so kind as to do away with me in a less painful way?”

Nigel and Ava exchanged confused glances. “So…” Nigel spoke, “you weren’t really working for the Tallest?”

“Oh, but of course not! There was never any alliance! True, the Tallest did come to me, hoping to make an alliance, but I quickly turned them down the moment I heard they were going to enslave my children and force them to dig out broccoli! I never really cared for the Tallest and their insidious ways. But I never quite expected them to go as far as to place a mind-control device on the back of my head!”

 _“So, THAT’S what that was.”_ Spoke Nigel quietly. “Well, we’re sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“Oh, no harm done! But do me a favor and teach them a lesson or two when you get the chance.”

“Will do! But we should probably get going now. Before the jester queen gets worried.”

Croacus chuckled at this, knowing he was referring to the GKND Supreme Leader. He’s heard of their leader, and he thought she didn’t really sound too pleasant. “I suppose you do! Well, you kids take care now! Good-bye!”

“SEE YA!” And with that, the two galactic operatives ran off toward their ship, back to GKND HQ.

**Zim’s House**

Back on Earth, Zim and GIR were loading things onto their ship, getting ready for their own space adventure. “There! Do have everything you need, GIR?”

GIR pulled out a checklist. “Let’s see: Muffins, waffles, cupcakes, tacos…, YES!”

“Excellent! Now then…” Zim pulled out the pair of sunglasses he stole from Sector V and placed them on some scanner. “We will use the sunglasses to track where Number 1 will be, and ambush him there!” A holographic map appeared from the scanner and a small cursor began scanning the map until it zoomed in on one spot and began blinking. “YES! ! He is THERE! Now then, Number 1,” Zim activated his ship and it rose into the sky, “prepare to face your doom! For Zim will unleash so much DOOM upon you, that people will mistake you for the mixture of a 10-year-old and a 16-YEAR-OLD!!!!”

“YAY!” exclaimed GIR. “We’s make him look real ugleh!”

“Yes we are, GIR.” The two began laughing maniacally as they took off into the heavens.

Little did Zim know that someone was following behind him on a ship of his own. “Not while Dib is on the case, Zim!”

 

**Well, there you have it. Btw, I forgot to mention Orbot and Cubot come from _Sonic Colors_ , much like the Wisps, and King Croacus comes from _Super Paper Mario_. Also, the Tetramites and A.B.S.O.R.B.O. originate from _Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time_. This chapter was meant to be longer, but, once again, I thought otherwise. The next chapter’s going to have quite a bit of back story, so that’s why I decided to cut it from this chapter.**


	5. Jirachi, the First Operative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimentia introduces Nigel to Jirachi and tells the GKND's backstory.

**Hey, guys! Welcome back to more. All this chapter is is backstory. Not much happens, but it’s still important to the plot.**

****

**_

Chapter 5: Jirachi, the First Operative

_**

****

Nigel and Ava landed back in the hangar of the GKND Base after their exciting mission to Planet Flora. “You know, I expected the Tallest to be a bit more… convincing.” Said Nigel, as he could hardly believe THEY were the supposed rulers of adult tyranny.

“Well, it just goes to show, you can’t always have high expectations.” Replied Ava. “Hey, I have to go do something. I’ll see you later?”

“How about we hang out tomorrow at lunch?”

“Sounds great! See ya!” With that, she ran off. Numbuh 1 was about to head off as well, until he was confronted by Numbuhs Infinity and 74.239 (still in their Wisp forms).

“So, Numbuh 1: how was the mission?” asked Infinity.

“It went well. Ava and I work pretty well together!”

“Well, good. Numbuh 256 will be happy to hear that. She’s waiting to speak with you at the Star Sanctuary.”

“Where?”

“We’ll show you.” replied Gabe. “Let’s get in our ship!” And with that, they boarded a nearby ship and took off.

**The _Massive_**

The Almighty Tallest were lounging around on a couch in their private chambers engulfing various snacks and watching TV when, suddenly, Orbot and Cubot came shooting through the doors. “Sirs!” exclaimed Orbot. “We just got a call from our undercover spy! Nigel and Ava defeated King Croacus and blasted his broccoli mines!”

Red just spewed out some soda he was drinking, while Purple choked on some popcorn. “WHAT?!” exclaimed Red.

“It’s true!” exclaimed Cubot. “Them there varmints made them mines explode like a teacher when some idjit cheats on a test.”

“CRUD! Now we’ll never be able to force feed broccoli to the children of the universe!” replied and angered Red.

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” remarked Orbot.

“What was that?”

“Uhhh, but all is not lost, it seems! You see, according to our spy, Nigel and Ava have found one of the lost Star Pieces!”

“You mean,” began Red, “one of the pieces that make up the Star Rod?”

“That’s the one!”

“Well, that’s perfect!” exclaimed Purple. “That means we’re one step closer to making up the Star Rod!”

“Only one problem:” began Red, “those stupid Galactic Kids Next Door have it, not us!”

“Well, no problem!” exclaimed the self-proclaimed cowboy. “All we gotta do is find the rest of them there Stars before they do, and there ain’t no way they can stop us then!”

“Maybe you’re right.” replied Red. “But how are we going to find the rest of those Stars before they do?”

“Maybe we could send Tak after them.” suggested Purple. “She did recently take over Planet Secco, so maybe they’ll send Number 1 there to stop her?”

“Yeah! And if they do send him there, Tak could do away with him hands down!”

“Ah beggin’ yer pardon, sire,” replied Cubot, “but y’all reckon Tak can squash them varmints?”

“Yes,” replied Red, “Ah RECKON she can! Orbot, where is his new voice chip?”

“It’s still being repaired, I’m afraid.”

“Well, tell those scientists to hurry up! That cowboy thing’s getting annoying.”

“Hey!” replied Purple. “I like the cowboy voice!”

“Well, I don’t! It’s annoying!”

“I told ya!” the two robots said to each other.

“Look, you two!” began Red. “Just go get Tak and bring her here! And try not to mess anything up, cowboy!”

“Well, shoot! Just put gimme a jacket and call me a fat, Hispanic lady with sunglasses! Y’all can count on us ta do this!”

“Then go!” With that, the two robots saluted and took off. The Tallest went back to enjoying their snacks and watching TV. 

The Tallest continued eating their snacks and watching TV for a while until Purple spoke again. “Hey, Red, that’s reminds me: didn’t that Nigel Uno kid seem a bit familiar to you?”

“Yeah. Now that you mention it, I do feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. But where?”

“Hey, you don’t think…” Red stared at Purple, waiting for him to finish. “You don’t think… he could be related to _him_ , do you?”

**Star Haven**

The ship landed on a nearby star-shaped, blue island in the middle of space. The two Wisps and Numbuh 1 stepped out with Numbuh 1 wearing his space helmet, so he could breath. “Numbuh 1: welcome to Star Haven! The most sacred place in all of Galaxia!” said Infinity.

Numbuh 1 gaped at the sight of the haven. “Wow! It’s beautiful!”

“Well, you haven’t seen anything yet! Let’s go to the Star Sanctuary!”

As the three were making their way to the shrine up ahead, Gabe stopped Numbuh 1 and said, “You know, you can take off your helmet.”

“But won’t I die?”

“No you won’t! Trust me!”

Hesitantly, Numbuh 1 reached and pulled off his helmet and began gasping for air, until he realized he was breathing just fine. “The air… it’s so fresh!”

“Well, of course it is! This is a sacred place, after all. Now, come on. Dimentia’s waiting.” And with that, they stepped into the Star Sanctuary.

Once inside, Nigel gaped at the sight of the large fountain sitting in the center. The fountain was producing a small amount of water which flowed outside the shrine. There was a figure sitting on the pedestal in the fountain. That figure was none other than the great Star God, Jirachi. At the top of the small staircase leading up to the fountain was his Supreme Galactic Leader, Numbuh 256, or Dimentia, kneeling to the Star God as she began to sing:

_O great star that shines so bright_

_Hear that which I plead:_

_Stop this cursed aging blight_

_Turn back the tides of time_

_And give me what once was mine_

_What once was mine…_

As she finished her little song, she stepped out of her shoes and slowly stepped into the fountain. The fountain and Jirachi began to glow, and some water slid up Dimentia’s body and seeped into her skin. Once she was finished, she turned her attention to the bald Brit standing in the walkway. “Ah, looks who’s here!” She stepped out of the fountain and walked up to the bald Brit. Once she was down to him, she removed her jester hat, revealing her long, black and white hair.

Numbuh 1 stared at her silently for a moment. Without her hat on, she actually looked somewhat… pretty. Wait! Why was he thinking this? He just shook the thought off.

Dimentia smiled at the fact he was just staring at her like that. “Anything you’d like to say?”

“N-No.”

“Even so. Ahem! Number 1:”

“ _Numbuh_ 1.”

“Whatever. It is, with great honor, that I introduce: JIRACHI! The maker of wishes!” She gestured toward the young Star God, who, in turn, smiled.

“Maker of wishes?”

“Yes. And this fountain is the legendary Fountain of Dreams!”

“Fountain of Dreams?”

“Indeed. Ever hear of ‘wishing upon a star’?”

“Yeah, when I was little. Now, I don’t really believe in that stuff, anymore.”

“Well, you should! Because this place is the source of it all!” Dimentia levitated into the air as she explained the story. “You see Nigel, children throughout the universe, long ago, used to look up at the stars in the sky at night, making wishes to them. Once the stars made those wishes come true, the magic they used becomes wishing energy, and that energy gets taken to this shrine and becomes dream water, which is used to bring life to all star beings in this starry kingdom, known as Galaxia! And even today, children continue to make wishes to stars! Of course, some kids like to make selfish wishes. Like that Number 363 kid, for instance, making wishes like ‘I want Uno to suffer a horrible sickness’ or ‘I wish my sister would decommission Sector V’. Wishes like those don’t get granted.”

Numbuh 1 had a bit of trouble following along with this. He never really believed in wishes very much ever since he lost his hair. “But do these good wishes even get granted?”

“Well, of course! How do you think Hollywood actors got where they are, or how famous baseball players got so good? They made wishes to the stars and those wishes came true!”

Numbuh 1 had to admit she had a point. “But what does all this fairytale junk have to do with the Kids Next Door?”

“I’m getting to that! You see, this fountain used to flow much more than it does right now. That’s because it used to be powered by a powerful wand, known as the Star Rod. But many millenniums ago, seven adult stars, known as the Star Spirits, used the Star Rod’s power to create the first adults on Planet Irk. You see, Planet Irk was once home to the Wisps you see around the base, but the adults took over and enslaved the Wisps to do their evil bidding. And soon afterwards, they began to spread their accursed disease! Once they began, the Star Spirits destroyed the Star Rod, so that the disease couldn’t be undone.”

“And where does Jirachi come into play?”

“Well, you see, Jirachi is a special child! He’s been around since the beginning of time and hasn’t aged a bit! That’s because he shares a special bond with the Star Rod and is the very cure we need to be rid of this disease!”

This time, Jirachi spoke, “Those mean Star Spirits tried to keep me inside a stuffy old rock for 100 years, but thanks to Dimentia, I was saved, and now I get to play with Gabe and Jeremy for as long as I want!” Jirachi got off his pedestal and flew over to his two Wisp friends and smiled. “Of course, I have to sit here and grant wishes for hours, but whatever helps get rid of this disease!”

“You see,” began Dimentia, “I was lucky enough to find Gabe, Jeremy, and Jirachi stranded and abandoned. I discovered Jirachi’s amazing gift and wanted to share it with the rest of the children of the universe! So, I gathered a few of my acquaintances, along with a few rescued Wisps and created what is now known as the Galactic Kids Next Door! Together, we traveled the universe, saving children from the evil adults before the disease could catch on! Our efforts inspired them to create their own adult fighting organizations, and fight off the accursed disease! But despite all their efforts, the disease always seemed to catch on whenever children became the age of 13. That’s when I introduced a process, which you now know as decommissioning, to erase the memories of operatives and have them banished from the Kids Next Door. You see, as the disease catches on, children slowly become slaves to the adult mind, and that’s why we don’t allow teens in the KND, so to avoid risking other operatives catching the disease quicker. The process became a good way of stopping teens and adults from spreading the disease to others faster! It really worked well against that Grandfather of yours! And he had it bad!”

Numbuh 1 then just realized she had a point. If it wasn’t for decommissioning, Grandfather’s curse might’ve never been stopped. And his curse did spread fast like some disease. Maybe it WAS real? He was still unsure, though.

“Anyway,” continued Dimentia, “because of the decommissioning process, future generations of operatives slowly forgot about adulthood being a disease and forgot about the Kids Next Door’s very origins. Mainly the Kids Next Door of your planet. After a while, we decided that just me, Jirachi, and the Wisps needed a bit more help ridding this disease for good, so Jirachi used his magic to transform Numbers Infinity and 74.239 into the forms of aliens from a certain planet and had them sent to those planets to find an operative worthy of joining GKND and being a representative of that planet. I happily introduced those operatives to Jirachi and this marvelous fountain and gave them eternal youth, so that they’d never have to be decommissioned and continue to work hard to fight the disease!”

“Hold on a second! Does that mean…”

“You are currently the only operative here UNDER the age of 13!” Numbuh 1 was in great shock. “And since the disease hasn’t fully caught on to you yet, you haven’t had to make constant trips to the fountain to have Jirachi give you a little of his magic!”

“But wait, just how do you plan to get rid of this ‘disease’, anyway?”

“And here we come to our main objective! You see, when the Star Spirits shattered the Star Rod, it broke into seven different pieces and those pieces scattered across the universe. You and Ava found one of those pieces in the Floro Broccoli Mines! If you keep up that pace, we’ll have the Star Rod fixed in no time, and be able to use its ultimate power to rid the cosmos of this disease forever! And as a loyal operative to the Kids Next Door, YOU’RE going to help us… won’t you? Doing this for us would really help the Kids Next Door greatly.”

After hearing Dimentia’s tale, he finally understood the purpose of all this. And as a loyal operative, he would do anything he could to help. “Yes. I will.”

Dimentia slowly landed on the floor in front of Numbuh 1. “That’s good to hear! Now then: you probably had a long day, so you can head on back to the base!” And with that, the bald galactic operative headed back to the base to get some rest for his upcoming journey. However, something in his gut told him that Dimentia wasn’t telling the WHOLE story. But he decided not to think about it right now. So, he headed off. Once he left, Dimentia turned to the two Wisps and Jirachi. “You three can head back, too. I have some matters to attend to.” The three nodded their heads and Jirachi teleported them away.

Once they were all gone, Dimentia flew outside the shrine and made sure no one was around the area. When she was finished, she grabbed her hat, put it on, pulled out some sort of stick, stuck it into Jirachi’s pedestal, and tilted it, opening the secret room under the fountain.

Once the fountain slid open, three black, bubbly creatures came flying out of the chamber. One had red eyes and hands, one had blue, while the other had yellow eyes and hands. Dimentia spoke, “So, Magiblots, how are our guests doing?”

“Just like you left ‘em!” said the Blue Magiblot in a male voice. “Hey, how long do we have to watch over these guys? You know we can’t stand filthy adults!”

“Patience, Blue. We’ll do away with them, soon enough. For now, the three of you guard the outside, while I have a chat with them.” The Magiblots did as they told while Dimentia stepped down into the hidden chamber. She used her magic to make her left hand glow in order to see in the darkness. She partially lit up the chamber, revealing the shadows of two chubby figures chained to the wall. One of the figures began to groan as Dimentia spoke: “Well, I must say, Nigel Uno seems to be making quite a bit of progress. I expected nothing less… from your son.”

Dimentia’s hand lit up more to reveal that the two chained figures were Mr. and Mrs. Uno. Their clothes were ragged and Mrs. Uno was unconscious. Mr. Uno was glaring at Dimentia angrily. “I swear, if it kills me, I’ll never let you make him do this.” He spoke with much anger in his voice.

Dimentia frowned. “You know, Number Zero, if you had just gone along with my plans long ago, you wouldn’t have to be watching your son do it now!”

“I was never going to let you get away with your crazy intentions! And neither will he.”

“Don’t count on it! I know what I did wrong last time and I plan to avoid that mistake. All I have to do is try harder to make him forget his friends and he won’t ever want to leave! And as long as you’re in here, I won’t be found out. And as long as your copies are filling in for you down on Earth, and those Earth scientists are covering for Number 1, no one will ever suspect a thing, and that _blond bimbo_ , Number 362 will never be able to confess her feelings! And if I can convince Nigel that that fool doesn’t care about him, he’ll stay up here with me FOREVER!” With that said, she exited the secret chamber, laughing maniacally. The fountain sealed the secret chamber and the Magiblots decided to join Dimentia in the evil laugh.

As they were leaving the haven back to the base, the shadow being hiding in the shadows headed out as well.

 

**And there you have the story behind the GKND. ‘Course, if you read the prologue, you know that Dimentia’s story is a little less than truthful. The Magiblots come from _Super Paper Mario_ , as well. Well, later!**


	6. Wish Upon a Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Numbuh 362 feels guilty for her last moment with Nigel before he vanished. Meanwhile, Dimentia has lunch with Nigel before giving him his next mission.

**Okay, ladies and… I think there’s gentlemen. Time to get on with Chapter 6. Remember: I only own Numbuhs 10,000, and 256. Alright, let’s get it on! R+R!**

**_Chapter 6: Wish Upon a Star_ **

Numbuh 1 tossed and turned in his sleep, trying to rest from his mission to Flora. But the nightmare he was having stopped him from doing that.

_Inside his nightmare, he was standing on the cliffside where his crazy computer had chased him and Lizzie to. It was the also the spot where he broke up with his girlfriend, and Rachel tried to comfort him. In his nightmare, he was still in his astronaut clothes._

_After looking around, wondering how he got there, he finally noticed his old blond leader standing on the edge of the cliff. “Rachel!”, he called to her as he ran over. She turned around to look at him with a sad expression. “What’s wrong?” He asked her._

_“Why did you leave me, Nigel?” she sadly replied._

_“Rachel, please understand! I had to leave. It was for the Kids Next Door! For the universe!”_

_“Was helping the Kids Next Door really more important than me? Than us?” Nigel turned around and noticed Sector V, Eva, his parents, Fanny, Patton, Lizzie, and Harvey standing behind him, looking sad._

_“Guys, I-” he was about to reply when he realized, “Wait! What are Harvey, Lizzie, and Fanny doing here?”_

_“Come on!” shouted Lizzie. “You know you wanted to at least stay friends with me!”_

_“Well, what are Harvey and Fanny doing here?”_

_“’Cause you miss beating us in contests, Uno!” replied Harvey._

_“…Yeah, good point.” As he said this, his friends and family (plus Harvey and Fanny) closed their eyes and slowly turned to dust. “Guys!” He turned around just in time to see Rachel turn to dust as well. Numbuh 1 gasped at this. After seeing them turn to dust, he then felt the ground shaking. The piles of dust then rose into the air. Nigel looked up to see an enormous black hole in the sky sucking in the dust._

_He tried to run away from the black hole, but failed as the black hole began sucking in chunks of Earth and, eventually, himself. The only thing he heard, besides crumbling Earth and his screaming, was the sound of creepy laughter._

Nigel was awakened from his nightmare, gasping for air. He awakened just in time to hear his alarm clock. He switched off his alarm clock, got out of bed, and began to get dressed.

**The _Massive_**

The Almighty Tallest were sitting in their control room, staring out the large window and eating their snacks, again, while the little Irken children sat at their control stations. They continued doing so until one of the Irkens spoke: “Sirs: Cubot and Orbot are back with Tak.”

“Good.” said Red. “Send them in.”

The doors opened and a speeding shadow being shot in and began flying around the room, scaring the Tallest. The shadow stopped back at the doors revealing itself to be a black cat with ears shaped like horns. The cat then morphed, revealing itself to be a SIRbot with purple eyes. Afterwards, a female Irken child with purple eyes, curled antennas, and purple armor stepped in with Orbot and Cubot. “You called, my Tallest?”

“Tak!” Red said. “Don’t scare us like that!”

“Sorry. FIR here is just bored. She’s been dying to get back into action ever since we took over Secco. So, what seems to be the problem?”

“Well, Tak, the GKND have a new human operative, called Number 1.”

“Pardon me,” interrupted Orbot, “but I think it was _Numbuh_ 1.”

“Whatever. Anyway, he’s been working there for about 3 months now, and so far, he’s ruined every one of our plans to spread adult tyranny. He’s even found one of the Seven Stars.”

“Hmm. Sounds like a real problem.”

“Yes,” continued Red, “and we think he might be coming your way next. We have a spy over there keeping an eye on him just to make sure.”

“So, we need you to ambush him on Planet Secco when he does.” Finished Purple.

“So, another human, huh? No problem. I’ll take him out easy. I recently gave my SIRbot a few upgrades. She can take the form of anyone she wants. Observe.” And with that, FIR turned to Orbot and began scanning him. Within an instant, she transformed into an exact replica of Orbot.

Once she finished, she spoke in Orbot’s voice. “I say, this is quite an interesting technique, is it not?”

“Well, I say.” replied Orbot.

Afterwards, she turned to Cubot, scanned him, and took his form as well. “Well, I do declare! I feel as hyper as a coffee man after drinking a buhmillion cups!”

“Well, I’ll be a Japanese germ phobic freak!” replied Cubot.

“Where do you come up with this stuff?” Orbot asked.

“Simple. You see, I-“

“Enough, you two!” Shouted Red. “So, it can turn into robots, but can it turn into other creatures?”

Tak gestured to FIR to go up to the Tallest, scan Red, and take his form. “Hey, Red, you’ve gotten shorter!” she spoke in Red’s voice.

“So, are you impressed?” Tak asked.

“Yes… and somewhat annoyed. But how can you be sure she’ll be able to stop Uno? FIR can only take one form at a time, and he might be paired up with that white alien girl again.”

“Well, if they do get paired up, it’s two on two. We’ll take ‘em easy! But if all else fails, I have a back-up plan. BEHOLD!” With that, she reached into her pocket, pulled out, and held up…

“THE BROWN STAR!?” The Tallest exclaimed.

Tak held up the ever so shining brown Star Piece in the air. “That’s right! While taking over Planet Secco, I stumbled upon this ancient pyramid! We had a look inside, and lo and behold, we found a Star Piece! After that, we also figured we take over the pyramid just for kicks, since no one was around! Not that that matters.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Red asked. “Give it to us!”

“Now, hold just a sec! If I’m going to take out this Number 1 guy, I’m going to need this as a last resort! I already have the perfect monster ready that uses the power of the Wisps for just such an occasion! Combined with the power of this Star Piece, it’ll be unstoppable!”

“Fine, you can use it.” Replied Red.

“But as soon as you’ve wasted that brat, bring it back to us.” Continued Purple.

“And you better not lose it to those galactic guys, either!”

“Oh, don’t worry! This Star’s safe in my hands!” she said as she put the big star back in her pocket.

“Wait, how does that fit in your pocket, anyway?” Red asked.

Tak just shrugged. “Come FIR! Let’s get going!” And with that, FIR switched back to her regular form, saluted, and followed Tak out the door.

“And you two get back to fixing that chip!” shouted Red. The robots saluted and left as the doors closed on them. They went back to enjoying their snacks when Red spoke again, “Hey, what do you think Zim’s doing right now?”

“Eh, probably nothing that could affect us in any way.” replied Purple, chewing on a kit-kat.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

**KND Moonbase**

It was just another regular day at Kids Next Door Moonbase. Officers were stationed at their… stations, while other kids were playing whisbee on the whisbee deck. Supreme Leader, Numbuh 362/Rachel T. McKenzie, was in her office filling out paperwork, as usual. She was wearing her usual clothes, with the only exception being the gold star necklace around her neck. She also appeared to have a sad expression.

She kept signing papers until she heard a knock at her office door. “Come in.” she said. On her call, Fanny and Patton stepped into the room.

“Sir:” Fanny spoke, “Sector V just reported. They want us to be on the lookout for a green-skinned boy in a dress, called Zim.”

“I’m pretty sure they said he was an alien.” Replied Patton.

“There’s no such thing as aliens, ye stoopid boy! It’s obviously just some boy with a skin disease.”

“What about the aliens that were on the prison ship?”

“Those were just Numbuhs 92 and 93 bound and gagged by Cree! Everyone knows aliens don’t exist!”

“How can you say that when there’s ONE STANDING IN FRONT OF ME?!”

“That’s it!” Fanny screamed, rolling up her sleeve and marching up to Patton angrily. “When I get through with you, YOU’RE going to be the alien!”

“Bring it on, Fulbright!”

“That’s enough, you guys!” Rachel shouted from her desk, not wanting to have a fight in her office. “Honestly, can’t you guys do this somewhere else? I’m under enough stress as it is!”

Patton and Fanny exchanged glances at each other before Fanny replied, “Are you okay, Sir? You’ve seemed a little down, lately.”

“It’s just… well… I’ve been getting a lot of paperwork, lately, okay?”

There was a pause before Patton replied, “You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”

Rachel sighed. “Yes.”

“Rachel, it’s been 3 months.” Fanny replied. “Don’t you think it’s time to move on?”

“Yeah. You can’t be upset like this forever.”

Rachel sighed again. “I know, but… I just can’t. Ever since he vanished, I’ve been feeling really guilty. I can’t help but feel he left because of me.”

“Aw, that’s crazy!” Said Patton. “Why would he leave because of you?”

“Well, because the last time I saw him… I kicked him off the cake mission. And I was really harsh when I did it, and he really wanted to go.”

“Well, ya had your reasons.” Replied Fanny. “And plus, why would he leave because of that? It’s not like you’ve never been angry at him before.”

“I know, but if I knew he was going to disappear without a trace, I wouldn’t have been so harsh. I mean, what if something bad has happened to him? What if I never see him again? The only impression he’ll have of me will just be a traitorous friend.”

Patton walked behind her desk and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. “Hey, he’ll turn up eventually! And when he does, I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you! Just like he always is!”

Rachel looked up at him and smiled. “Maybe you’re right.”

They were all silent for a few seconds until Fanny noticed the star necklace around Rachel’s neck. “Hey, where’d you get that necklace?”

“What, this?” She took the necklace in her hand. “This is a family heirloom. It’s been passed down through generations of my family.”

“How come we’ve never seen you wearing it?” Patton asked.

“I wear it all the time. I just have it stuffed down my sweater most of the time. It’s supposed to give its wearer good luck.”

“And you have it out now because you’re hoping it’ll bring Nigel back safely.” Fanny guessed.

Rachel looked at the necklace. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“Well, just keep believing, and maybe it will.”

“Yeah… maybe so.” They were silent for a few minutes until they heard a crashing sound outside. “Looks like they’re playing whisbee here, again.”

“We’ll take care of ‘em.” Fanny offered. “You just get back to your paperwork.”

“Thanks guys.” With that, Fanny and Patton left her office and Rachel could hear the sound of yelling on the other side. Before continuing with her paperwork, she spared one last glance to her star necklace, got up out of her chair, and stared out her large office window into outer space.

The blue-eyed shadow being, that was watching from the ceiling, quietly phased through the corner of the window, and shot into space unnoticed. Once it was a good distance away from the Moonbase, it said to itself in a dark, otherworldly voice, “So, even the strong-willed Supreme Leader is saddened by his leave.” As he spoke, he took out a sword with a face on its hilt and said to it, “Oh, Exor. My trusty sword. If things continue to go the way they’re going, a terrible fate could befall us.” The shadow being looked into space before looking back at his sword. “But I have a debt to repay. And I will do what it takes to stop this.” He put his sword away. _“I swear it on my people.”_ And with that, he took off into the starry sky.

**Sargasso Region**

The big-headed boy genius, apparently known as Dib, was flying through space in his small, black and grey ship which slightly resembled that of an Irken’s. He was looking at some sort of galactic map with a red dot moving across it rapidly. “The tracking device I placed on Zim’s ship is still active!” he said to himself. “I’ll have him captured in no time, and when I do, I’ll haul him back to Earth and expose him for the monster that he is! Then no one will ever call me crazy ever again! All I need to do is—AH!”

His sentence was cut short as he was intercepted by three menacing-looking ships. The three ships had black front sides with a large spike. The back sides were red with a few lasers attached, along with four white wings that lined up like an X. The ships also had little cockpits for the drivers. The three ships surrounded Dib’s ship as they continued flying straight.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?!” exclaimed Dib.

“You’re trespassing in Lord O’Donnell’s territory.” said a voice from the ship above Dib’s, who flew down, so they were right next to each other. Dib saw that the pilot of the ship was some white and grey wolf dressed in a blue and black combat suit. “That’s me! Wolf O’Donnell! And this is the Star Wolf Team! That’s Leon.” He pointed to the ship right of Dib which had a green chameleon in a black jumpsuit, who turned to Dib and stuck his tongue out. “And that’s Panther.” Wolf rose his ship, so Dib could get a look at the other ship with a black panther wearing a blue and white jumpsuit, who growled.

“We don’t welcome trespassers here.” Panther growled. He seemed to have a Spanish accent.

“Look guys, I’m sorry for trespassing.” Dib said in slight fear. “But my name is Dib and I’m chasing after an alien named Zim! He’s an Irken invader!”

“Ahhh. And just what do you plan to do with this Irken?” Panther asked.

“I’m going to bring him back to my planet and expose him for his evil!”

“Well, you must be desperate coming all the way out here.” Wolf said. “Unfortunately, an enemy of the Irkens is an enemy of us! You see, while we may not be interested in what they’re up to, we are interested in their leaders’ cash. And taking down GKND operatives and little annoyances like you will get us that cash.”

“Wait, the GKND is here?” Dib replied.

“Not _here_ , but they are close. But it doesn’t matter since you won’t have a chance to meet then, anyway! Get him, Jake!”

Dib looked out the window of his ship and noticed a fourth ship coming up from behind. Unlike the others, this one was long and snake-like. The snaky ship was black and several white wings and lasers lined up along it. On the front were four rockets lined up like an X, as well as a snake’s head wearing an air helmet with a black Western hat on said helmet. The snake had red eyes, with a black upper head and bright red lower head.

“Dib,” Wolf began, “meet the newest member of the Star Wolf Team: Rattlesnake Jake! He was too big to fit in a Wolfen, so we gave him this armor! It makes him perfect for catching his prey! Show him, Jake!”

And with that, Dib flew fast downward with Rattlesnake Jake following behind him. He quick-turned in all different directions, hoping to lose the armored snake, but failed nonetheless. “Man! You’re fast!” Dib panted.

“Well, of courssse I am!” Jake said in a Western accent. “I ain’t your ordinary rattlessssnake! I come from the very bowelsss of Hell!”

Dib looked ahead and saw an asteroid field. Since he couldn’t seem to outrun the snake, he would take his chances. “Try chasing me through this!” And with that, Dib flew into the asteroid field, dodging all asteroids that came his way. Despite his masterful maneuvering, the self-proclaimed demonic snake followed closely behind. Dib was really getting worried now.

The rest of the Star Wolf Team was watching from a few feet above them. “I think that’s enough playing around, Jake.” Wolf said. “Grab him!”

“With pleassure!” And with that, he sped to the front of Dib’s ship and wrapped his long, armored body around Dib’s ship, stopping it.

“Good work, Jake!” Wolf congratulated. “Now, what to do with him…”

“We’re close to Planet Secco. Let’s go down and see if there are any buyers!”

“Good idea, Leon! Star Wolf Team: let’s go!” And with that, they flew off toward Planet Secco.

**GKND H.Q.**

Nigel was walking down a large balcony-like area with an enormous glass window showing a great view of outer space. He was still rubbing his eyes from the nightmare he had last night. He kept walking until he finally reached the base’s cafeteria. The tables were lined up with GKND operatives and Wisps eating various types of alien food. Numbuh 1 was glad that Dimentia was kind enough to serve food from all her operatives’ planets, including Earth. He didn’t really care where she got it all.

In the center of the cafeteria was a large silver statue of the Supreme Galactic Leader herself, with several plants lined up along it. As he scanned the cafeteria looking for Ava, two aliens, a blue blob in a white T-shirt and a chicken in a floating egg-shaped pod, passed by him. “Hey, check it out, BA-BWARK!” said the chicken. “Luvbi‘s on the statue praying again, BA-GAWK!”

“Hehe. You think she’ll ever find that prince she’s looking for?” the blob replied.

“BWARK! In another 1500 years!” The two aliens moved along the mess hall, laughing.

Nigel looked up to the statue and noticed a white figure floating above it. He walked up to see it was a white angel-like girl with a shade of yellow praying above the statue with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. She had heart-shaped wings, white hair tied in a curl, a yellow dress, and dangling legs with yellow sandals.

“Doo-bi-doo-bi-doo!” the girl sang. “Ah, I wonder if I shall meet mine most special someone today! Surely, he is a prince that is strong of arm and noble of heart!” The girl opened her eyes and shouted, “O my sweet prince! Hurry and fly to me!” She looked down to see the bald Brit staring at her with a raised eyebrow. “Pray, what reason hast thou to stare at me so?! Didst thou hear me pine for a bald, pale skinned human?!” she yelled.

“Good to see you, too, Numbuh Heaven Eleven.” Numbuh 1 replied sarcastically. He remembers going with Luvbi on a mission to Planet Sauria. Like most other aliens, he couldn’t understand her, so the mission didn’t play out well. But now that he kissed Ava (unintentionally), he could understand her. But he still didn’t seem to like her.

“So, thou canst understand me now? Then hear this: what I seek art princes. PRINCES ONLY! Not old, bald-headed weirdoes! Now, what dost thou want?”

“Have you seen Numbuh 10,000 anywhere?”

“So, thou seekest yonder big-earred alien? (A perfect match, verily.) She is over thither.” She pointed over to Ava, sitting at a table by the wall. Nigel smiled after seeing his new friend. “Art thou happy? Good! Then leave me be! I must continue to pray.” And with that, she closed her eyes and continued to pray.

As Nigel walked over to his alien friend, he mumbled, _“I know someone she could marry.”_

**Down the hall**

“So, Number Infinity, how goes the conditions of the base?”

Dimentia was walking down the other end of the balcony toward the cafeteria, looking in her mirror, with Numbuhs Infinity and 74.239 at her side. “Just as you left them, sir. And Jirachi is in his spot at the Star Sanctuary granting wishes.” Infinity replied.

“Perfect! And now that Uno’s found one of the Star Pieces, my face has never looked prettier!” Gabe and Jeremy chuckled at this. They silenced their selves once Dimentia shot glares at them.

“Uhhh, which reminds me, Sir,” began Infinity, “like I said before when the author edited Chapter 3 a bit, Nigel Uno would have a much comfortable time here if you don’t be so harsh.”

“Oh, don’t worry your pretty box head, Jeremy. I now see the error of my ways, and I plan to make up for it. As for you two, I think the cafeteria’s serving ice cream today!”

“I get first scoop!” Gabe exclaimed as he shot off toward the cafeteria.

“Not if I do first!” Infinity said chasing after him.

Once they were gone, Dimentia stopped where she stood and the Magiblots came out from behind. “So, Dimentia, how do you plan to convince Uno to stay here?” the red one, who was also a male, asked.

“Why, befriend him, of course! Jeremy was right, I was being too harsh. So, all I have to do is show him I can be a trustworthy friend, too, and he’ll stay here as long as I want him to!”

“Ooooo! Earn his trust and stab him in the back! I like it!” the yellow one, who sounded female, replied.

“I wouldn’t say ‘stab him in the back.’ Or at least, I hope not to. For right now, who wants some ice cream?”

“WE DO!” And with that, the three Magiblots shot toward the cafeteria as well.

Back in the cafeteria, Nigel made his way to where Ava was sitting. “Hey, Ava!”

“Hey, Nigel! I’ve been looking for you. Where’ve you been?”

“I overslept. I had the craziest dream last night.”

“What happened?”

“Well, I-”

“Ah, Number 1!” Dimentia exclaimed, appearing behind the bald operative, startling him.

“N-Numbuh 256 SIR!” Nigel saluted, though not really happy to see his new leader.

“Oh, lay off the formalities for a bit and call me Dimentia! It saves so much more breath! Anyway, care to join me for a meatball sandwich?”

Nigel was already getting a serious déjà vu vibe. “Well, I was kinda going to sit with Ava…”

“Oh, you can sit with her tomorrow! Don’t make me give you a direct order now!” And with that, Dimentia dragged him away.

“Sorry, Ava.” He said as he was being dragged.

“It’s okay. I have to go do something anyway.” And she walked off.

Nigel and Dimentia each grabbed a tray and got in line for meatball sandwiches. Once they got some, they went over to a nearby table and sat next to each other and began chowing down. “Mmm, this is tasty!” Nigel said, chewing on his food.

“Well, of course it is! As Supreme GKND Leader, I want my loyal operatives to be treated fairly!”

Nigel was getting really suspicious. The three months he’s been here, he’s never seen Dimentia act so nice. “Alright, what’s the catch?”

“Catch? There’s no catch! I’m just trying to make my newest operative feel at home since he won’t _ever_ be going back there!” Nigel gave her a suspicious look. Dimentia sighed. “Alright, listen Nigel. I’ve been thinking and maybe I was a little too hard on you.”

“Oh, no, of course you weren’t. I mean, back on Earth, my old Supreme Leader used to threaten me with body separation via dimensional bending ALL THE TIME!” he yelled sarcastically.

Dimentia gave a nervous chuckle. “Yes, well, even so, I really don’t want to rule over my operatives with fear. In truth, I really want to get on their good side and make friends with them.” She reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “And since you nor anyone here will be able to see their friends and family again, I really don’t want to make them feel like they don’t belong.”

Nigel couldn’t believe this was coming out of Dimentia’s mouth. But he was slightly happy that it was. “Well, maybe the one thing I really needed was an understanding friend.”

“Well, just so you know, I can be that friend. And if there’s anything I can give you, just let me know.” Nigel gave a small smile and Dimentia smiled back. “So, how was Planet Flora?”

“It was great! Ava and I work pretty well together! And the mission overall was pretty exciting!”

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way! Maybe I’ll pair you with Ava on your next mission, too.”

“Oh, yeah, that reminds me.”

“Hmm?”

“Back on Flora when we were battling Croacus, we rescued an orange Wisp shaped like a rocket. It shot into my body and made my shoes activate like rockets. What’s up with that?”

Dimentia chuckled. “Well, my friend. You’ve just experienced your first Color Power!”

“Color Power?”

“Well, you see, the Wisps you see around here are filled with powerful energy. The Irkens like to use that energy to power their machines.”

“I already knew that.”

“Anyhoo, each differently colored Wisp has their own Color Power. The Orange Wisps, for example, make your feet activate and take off like rockets. The Light-blue Wisps, which is what Gabe is, can make you run at high speeds. Dark Blue Wisps, like Infinity, can trap things in ice cubes. They’re all very unique, which is why the Tallest love them so much, not just because they’re colorful. And it’s our job as GKND operatives to save them as well!”

“Do they catch the disease as well?”

“No. Not exactly. Because of their powers, they don’t catch the disease as easily as the rest of us do. But if they hang around adults too long, they will catch it. Not like Jirachi.”

“Well, as a GKND operative, I’ll do what I can to help them!” _Not to mention I really want to use more of those Color Powers!_ He thought to himself.

“And that’s precisely why I chose you: you put your loyalty first. Just like all good operatives!” _Most of them, anyway._

“SIR!” Gabe and Jeremy came to them, flying fast, with ice cream on their faces. “We’ve just had a report that some kid has been taken hostage on Secco!”

Nigel realized they had ice cream on their faces, yet they didn’t have mouths in those forms. “Hey, how can you two eat if you don’t have mouths?”

Gabe and Jeremy exchanged glances. “You don’t want to know.” Infinity said.

“Who is this kid?” Dimentia asked.

“We don’t know.” Infinity replied. “But he was ambushed in the Sargasso Region and was sold to some Irken soldiers on Planet Secco. We don’t know who he is or where he’s from. Except that it’s a boy.”

“Maybe me and Ava can go down to Secco and rescue him.” Nigel suggested. “Who knows, there might be another Star Piece down there.”

“Sounds good to me.” agreed Dimentia. “You go find Ava and explain the situation. Gabe and Jeremy: you help them get ready! Move out, you three, get going!” And with that, they all saluted and ran off.

Dimentia, however, snuck into one of the nearby bathrooms and met up with the Magiblots, who were eating ice cream. “I tell ya, eating ice cream in the girls’ bathroom is NOT sanitary!” said the Blue Magiblot.

“So, how did it go?” asked Yellow.

“Just wonderful!” exclaimed Dimentia. “Pretty soon, he’ll completely forget about wanting to go back to Earth!”

“And just how do you know he’ll forget about all his friends?”

“He will as soon as I convince him that the GKND are much better friends than those Earth kids! Especially that goody two-shoes Rachel!”

“Well, whatever you’re gonna do,” replied Blue, “you better do it quick. You see, the three of us have been down on Earth, recently, checking on those friends of his…”

“Yes…?”

“And we caught _him_ spying on them from the shadows.”

“You mean…”

The three Magiblots nodded their heads approvingly.

Dimentia turned away from them. _So, HE thinks he can foil my plans again. Dimentia thought to herself. But HE’S just an adult! Nigel will never believe him as long as I keep lying to him. Just as I lied to Jirachi. But just to be safe, I had better check to see how my clones are doing._

 

**And… done. I was hoping to get to Planet Secco in this chapter, but you know. We should definitely get there next time, and do another star-shooter level, and then the Secco level. The Star Wolf Team comes from the _Star Fox_ series, except for Rattlesnake Jake, who comes from the movie _Rango_. Next time, we start the second world. I’ll also grant 500 if you can what that star necklace REALLY is! Later!**

**…**

**_Spoiler alert: Nigel_ is _a prince._**


	7. Meet Dib!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel and Ava befriend Dib Membrane on Planet Secco. Afterwards, they head to a pyramid controlled by the Irkens.

**‘Kay, people, time to begin the desert world of this story. Soon as we clear a space segment. By the way, imagine that Nigel is making a ton of Bolts for every enemy he kills. XP Play the “Sargasso Space Hideout” from _Star Fox: Assault_. Here we go.**

**_Chapter 7: Meet Dib!_ **

_Galactic Offense, Act 2_

_Mission: Reach Planet Secco!_

The two operatives were off on their ships again, charging through an even bigger fleet of Irkens. Several giant ships fired at Nigel’s Arwing, but he performed barrel rolls and deflected their shots. “I’ll try and cover from above.” Ava said, flying straight upward.

“Good luck, Ava. I’ll just break through.” A series of 10 small ships were coming at Nigel from behind. The bald Brit flew over a big ship and went downward, then made a series of turns around more flagships, but the Irkens stayed on his tail. However, he was able to hide behind one of the flagships and let the Irkens go past. He got behind the Irkens and dealt away with them with a single Smart Bomb.

 _“All ships launch the force-fields. Invader Tak wants Secco’s atmosphere secure.”_ At his command, the flagships dropped generators up ahead, creating a series of barriers to block Nigel’s path. Nigel rapidly began to shoot the generators to make the shields vanish. There were too many coming up, so Nigel was forced to shoot Smart Bombs and blow the generators away. He was able to get past the shields as he was coming up to another flagship, which seemed to be firing missiles directly upwards. More missiles were attacking the flagship from above, and the ship began sinking as Ava flew down.

Nigel flew by the ship to the next squad of flagships. Hatches opened on the ships and released more giant combat robots. The robots zipped around side-to-side and fired at Nigel, but he dodged and locked on with energy missiles, successfully shooting down the two robots. Two lines of robots emerged from ships up ahead, swerving back and forth as Nigel flew between them. They tried to shoot him, but he performed more barrel rolls and shot some of them with his Arwing.

“Captain’s Log: I feel cold… and it’s dark… and _lonely_ … out here in space.”

“What are you doing?” Ava asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just making up a little captain’s log.”

“Are all of you humans so dramatic?”

Nigel was currently flying below some flagships that had satellites latched on the bottom. The satellites aimed at the Brit and released sonic waves, which made his ship shake. Nigel took aim and fired energy missiles at the satellites to wipe them out. He barrel-rolled to avoid other sonic waves as they flew past. Up ahead, another combat robot emerged from a flagship, protected by a green shield. “He’s quick, be careful.” Ava cautioned. Nigel tried to fire an energy missile, but the robot swiftly avoided as he countered at Nigel. Nigel hit him with lasers and dealt some damage to his shield. When he eventually broke the shield, the robot stopped in place in an instant, attempting to make Nigel crash, but Nigel quickly slipped out of the way.

“The fact that all these big ships throw so little fire makes them seem kinda lazy.” Ava said.

_“Lazy?! Men: show her just how… WHAT’RE YOU TWO LAZIN’ AROUND FOR?! Get off autopilot and stop readin’ that junk!”_

_“We will, Sir.”_

_“In a sec.”_

_“Duuugh.”_

“Okay, I think we’re almost at Secco’s atmosphere.” Ava said as they closed in on the massive, light-brown planet. “Just a few more ships to go and… what’s that?!”

Nigel looked behind and saw there was a giant drill ship chasing him, with several smaller drills surrounding it. “Whatever it is, it’s about to mend me into a smoothie!”

“Hold on. I’m coming in.” Ava flew her Heart Star down behind Nigel’s Arwing and turned it around, latching the back of her ship to Nigel’s with two claws. She was now facing the Irken Driller as she started to shoot lasers at the surrounding drills. Each drill she took out kept the ship back, but it still kept on them. The drill came even closer as Ava took out more of the smaller ones. When they were all wiped out, she focused on the big drill. She rapidly mashed her buttons as the big drill was just inches from her ship. But just before it could pierce them, she was able to wipe it out. “Well, that was easy.”

_“Ahhh, conshlarg it! Next time, dispatch the autopilot…”_

_“Sorry!”_

With the fleet left in their dust, the duo continued to Planet Secco. (End song.)

**Planet Secco**

After their mini space battle, Nigel and Ava had landed on Planet Secco. They stepped out of their ships, and what they saw did not bode well for Nigel. Planet Secco was nothing more than a vast desert. Sandy fields stretched for miles and the sun shined bright in the cloudless sky.

Numbuh 1 put his left hand up in front of his face, trying to shield his sensitive eyes from the hot sun. It was at this point that he was regretting giving Numbuh 5 his only pair of sunglasses. And the fact he was wearing a sweltering astronaut suit didn’t make it any better.

“What’s wrong, Nigel?” asked Ava, noticing he was breathing heavily.

“It’s this heat. This astronaut suit’s making me sweat like crazy, and this sun makes it hard to see straight. I’d take this suit off, but I’m not wearing anything underneath.”

“Well, isn’t that bad luck. Guess we better find whoever this kid is and get out of here, quick.”

Nigel looked over to see that Ava didn’t look as affected as he was. “How come you can withstand this heat?”

“I dunno. Guess it’s because I like to spend a lot of time at the beach on Planet Aquaria. And I’m not really wearing any sort of hot clothing like you are.”

“Yeah… Why does Dimentia let you go around in your normal clothes?”

“Beats me. You think she’s a sexist?”

“No way! Otherwise, she would’ve picked Numbuh 86 to join!”

Ava chuckled at this, despite not knowing who “Numbuh 86” was. “Well, anyway, we should get going.” And with that, they walked off into the desert with the sun still beating into Nigel’s eyes. As they walked forward, strange music could be heard close by.

 _“Welcome to Planet Secco, where the sun shines ever so bright and rainfall is exceedingly low.”_ Nigel and Ava stopped and looked around to see where the Spanish sounding voice had come from. They finally noticed four owls wearing sombreros standing on a nearby rock to their left, playing different instruments. One owl was playing a guitar, the other was playing a horn, another was playing a violin, and the last one was playing an accordion. The owl with the accordion spoke. “Many creatures struggle to adapt to the harsh conditions of this planet. Most creatures would eventually adapt to the unbearable temperature, but the poor-sighted human… he is going to die.”

“HEY!” the owls looked down to see Nigel and Ava looking at them strangely. “Do you mind telling me who the heck you are?!”

“Oh, uh, we are your mariachi band. The author has instructed us to follow you around and sort of narrate the story as it goes along.”

“Isn’t that the author’s job?”

“Well, sort of. We don’t narrate the WHOLE thing. Just the beginning and end of scenes. Your scenes, anyway.”

“Well, then why weren’t you on Flora?”

“The author couldn’t really find a good spot to introduce us there. Plus he thought it’d make more sense if we were introduced on a desert planet.”

Nigel sighed. “Does this mean you’re all going to be stalking us the whole way?”

“N-No, no! I wouldn’t consider it ‘stalking.’ Just following you around, playing music and narrating the story at some parts, you know?”

“That still sounds like stalking.” Said Ava.

The leading owl sighed. “Look, just go along with your progress and pretend we aren’t here. We’ll keep a good distance.”

“Fine.” Nigel sighed. And with that, Nigel and Ava continued walking down the desert as the mariachi band played their Spanish music.

“And so, our heroes continued down the desert, unsure of where they were going, as the hot sun continued to make the bald Brit sweat.”

“But when is he going to die?” asked the owl with horn.

“Uh, soon, compadre. Soon.” (Play the “Desert Stage” Theme from _New Super Mario Bros. Wii_.)

_Stage 3: Secco’s Sandland_

_Mission: Find the unknown child that was taken to Secco._

The duo began their trek in the scorching sandland, walking through a small field of rising sand geysers. Monstrous sandworms called Moldorms burrowed through the ground and popped up to snack in them, but Ava sliced them away with her blades. Nigel shot at a few Moldorms that were behind them as the two followed a path down a sandy hill into a valley surrounded by hills. In the distance were strange sand people in strange masks and raggedy robes fixing up their long guns. The beings seemed to notice the operatives coming as they got onto hoverbikes and started riding toward them.

“Who’re the guys in robes?” Nigel asked.

“Dryans. Also known as ‘sand people.’ They’re the local inhabitants of this planet. They normally don’t like outsiders.”

“Well, we didn’t come looking for trouble.” Nigel said as he tossed a grenade toward the Dryans’ bikes. The sand people backed up and tried to shoot the operatives, but Nigel dodged and hit them with his S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. When the Dryans had enough, the got on their bikes and sped away across the valley. “Well, they don’t put up much a fight.”

“Keep your guard up. Sand people usually return, and in greater numbers.”

“Well, that would be great if they were setting up a football team or something.”

“’Football’? I’m not sure what that is, but they have this game where they find ball-shaped cacti and kick it around.”

“Yeah, that’s it. _My country, at least_.”

The group proceeded along the valley as swarms of Moldorm jumped above the ground, the two operatives using their weapons to keep them back. They hurried through the valley as more Moldorms came their way, getting too tired to fight them all. When they reached the end of the valley, they found a 20x40 weapon stand.

 _“Step right up, step right up for some ice-cold drinks in this scorchin’ hot desert!”_ Numbuh 20x40’s hologram exclaimed. Nigel licked his lips, reaching in to grab a drink to quench his thirst, but- _“Nah, just kiddin’! You’ll have to find a lemonade stand or somethin’.”_ Nigel put on a furious look. _“But what we DO have is this new N.I.N.S.T.A.R.! Ever wanted ta be a ninja, well now’s your chance! Only 1800 Bolts!”_

Nigel reached in his pocket and held his Infi-Cube under the transporter, allowing the Bolts to be sucked in. _“Enjoy, Kid!”_ Nigel took the mechanical shuriken and observed it.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: N.I.N.S.T.A.R.  
Ninja Item Niftily Slices Terrorizing Attackers Rapidly**

When the next swarm of Moldorms came out, Nigel hurled his new shuriken as it flew around and sliced every enemy in the area. The two operatives continued across the desert as tall, yellow cacti monsters, made up of stacks of ball-shaped cacti, rose from the sand. Nigel jumped back when a Pokey tried to fall on him and started tossing shurikens as they zipped back and forth and cut away each of the Pokeys’ parts. When only their heads were left, Ava and Nigel were able to stomp on them before they kept moving.

The two operatives came to a giant sandy whirlpool, where large boulders were slowly pulled and sunk into the center. The two jumped down and jumped their way across the boulders as Sand Wasps came out and began buzzing around them. Ava aimlessly swung her swords around and cut the wasps away, but lost her balance as she nearly fell into the quicksand, thankfully saved when Nigel grabbed her arm. They continued across the whirlpool and soon made it out on the other side. They went across a small hill before coming to an even larger whirlpool. The whirlpool had several strange cyan-colored diamonds floating around in it.

As they tried to think of a way to cross, a Pokey popped out of the ground beside them. Strangely, the Pokey’s head was glowing a cyan color. Nigel tossed his N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and cut away the Pokey’s pieces before taking out its head. A cyan-colored Wisp with a tiny lightning bolt on its head came out and instantly flew into Nigel’s body. He felt the Color Power coming on as he grabbed onto Ava and yelled, “LASER!” His body became a cyan laser as he launched at a floating diamond and ricocheted all around them, going a great distance past the whirlpool before they changed back.

“DID YOU SEE _THAT_??” Nigel yelled.

“I…I barely saw anything…” Ava said, her eyes dizzy. “Be careful where you aim that thing in the future.”

The two pressed forward in the desert as more sand geysers rised from the ground. When the geysers went down, the operatives were taken by surprise when sand people were shown to be behind them, ducking just before the Dryans could shoot them. Nigel tossed his shurikens at them while Ava flipped behind one, grabbed its robe, and flipped overhead to catch his head in the robe, then pushed him into other Dryans. The sand people got onto bikes and sped away as the two continued.

Ava and Nigel soon came up to a towering cliffside, watching the sand people climb their way up. The operatives found two walls that were close together and decided to Wall Jump between them to get upward. They made it partway up the cliff, peeking around to find two sand people scooping water into buckets from a small pond. “Gllrr, glrgle-glrgle. (Y’know, Freddie dug up some weird stone around the old wasteland the other day. Says it’s some ancient thing that can control time.)” A Dryan said in some strange language which the operatives couldn’t understand.

“Blrrgle blrgle. (Naah, that’s crazy. Probably dug up some fossilized poo and now he’s braggin’ about it.)”

“Blrgle glrgle. (I’m serious, man. If you had some Time Dust or somethin’, you c’n go back to stop yourself from spilling the basket of Red Ice all over that lady at the bizarre.)”

“(For the last time, that wasn’t my fault, that camel kicked me, and I-)”

“YAAH!” He didn’t get to finish when Ava and Nigel jumped out, attacked them, and kicked them over the edge. Ava then looked around and saw a light-green, bulbous plant that was blue at the top by the wall. “Hey, Nigel, it’s a Hydroplant. If these have water, they really give a bounce.”

Nigel scooped some water from the pond in his hand and had a sip. He smacked his lips and said, “There’s always something about desert water that just feels so refreshing.” He splashed a little over his face before sucking some into his A.B.S.O.R.B.O., then proceeded to water the Hydroplant. The round plant grew larger, and the operatives were able to use it to bounce to a higher ledge. There, the mariachi band of owls was sitting in a hole in the wall of the cliff, playing their usual music.

“The beautiful part about deserts is there is always an easy way to cook steaming bacon. Instead of a grill, the bald scalp of a young operative should be a perfect substitute.” The band leader said.

Some sand people spotted the operatives and tried to shoot them with blasters, but Ava flipped between two of them and kicked them upside the head while Nigel tossed a grenade at the one behind her. They found an orange light sticking out of a cactus, so Ava cut it open, releasing a Rocket Wisp. The Wisp flew into Nigel, who held onto Ava as he yelled, “ROCKET!”, his boots becoming rockets as they shot even higher up the cliff.

They reached the top of the small mountain, where a sand person was staring through binoculars, standing by a rather long zipline. They knocked the Dryan out before both taking hold of the zipline hook and zooming down over a great distance on the other side of the rocky mountain. As they continued across the desert, more sand people charged out from behind sand dunes, roaring as they tried to cut Nigel with knives. Nigel back-flipped as Ava defended from her own assailants, kicking two’s legs and knocking them down before bouncing off their heads and flipping upward to wipe out others. Nigel shot his opponents in the knees before tossing shurikens to knock them out. One last Dryan tried to ambush from behind, but Ava tossed a sword and stabbed the assassin. After taking her sword back, the two proceeded around the tall dunes that lay further across the desert.

“Well, this mission is already going smoothly.” Said Nigel sarcastically as they continued walking. “The sun’s in my eyes, I don’t have my sunglasses, this suit is hot, and we really have no idea where we’re going, do we?”

Ava nervously chuckled. “I guess we don’t.” The duo walked silently for minutes until Ava decided to break the silence with conversation. “So, how was your lunch with Dimentia?”

“Actually, it went… surprisingly well.”

Ava rose her eyebrow at this. “Really…?”

“Yeah. She was friendly, she was understanding… It’s scary to say, but… she seemed like…”

“Seemed like…?” Ava said, waiting for him to finish.

“…Rachel.”

Ava recalls him saying that name back in the Floro Mines and felt the need to ask, “Who’s Rachel? A friend of yours back on Earth?”

Nigel paused before answering. “Well, yeah. Her name was Rachel T. McKenzie. She was a friend. A really good friend. I mean, she was kind, caring, smart, brave, strong, and REALLY good at combat! There’s no wonder why she became Supreme Leader!”

“Was she pretty?”

Nigel was a little confused by this question. “Well, yeah, I guess so. I mean, who wouldn’t notice those choco brown eyes and that golden blond hair! (Plus she’s really cute in that samurai outfit!)”

Ava smirked. “Sounds like you really love this girl!”

Nigel’s cheeks turned red in an instant. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! I LIKE her, but I don’t LIKE-LIKE her!”

“’You don’t like-like her.’ Riiiight. Now how many times have I heard THAT one before?”

Nigel sighed. “Alright fine. To tell the truth, I… did sort of have a thing for her. I still remember when she took me to that amusement park to cheer me up after I broke up with my ex.”

“Well, you just better hope Dimentia doesn’t find out about this ‘thing’.”

“What do mean?”

“Well, Dimentia doesn’t allow her operatives to be in those types of relationships. She says that love is an adult thing that we kids shouldn’t trouble ourselves with.”

“And what do you think about this?”

“I don’t know what to think about it. I never had a boyfriend, so I don’t quite know what love feels like.”

“The only girlfriend I had was Lizzie, and that wasn’t a pleasant ride.”

“You think Dimentia might be right then?”

“I’m not sure. But I think I may have a talk with her once this is done. Right now, let’s focus on finding this kid.”

“Good idea.” They continued walking for a few minutes until something bothered Ava about Rachel and felt the need to ask, “What does the T stand for?”

Nigel just shrugged. (End song.)

_“HEELLLP!”_

The two exchanged glances and ran to the nearby sand hill to see where the cry for help came from. When they got to the top of the sand hill, they saw a boy in a cage surrounded by several Irken soldiers holding shock rods, Hunter Destroyer mechs, and more sand people. The boy in the cage had black hair with a spike, wore glasses, had a black jacket and a blue shirt with a grey frowny face, black pants and shoes, and a rather large head. What surprised Nigel the most was that he looked human.

“You think that’s the kid we were sent to rescue?” Ava asked, whispering, so they wouldn’t be heard.

“Probably. But what do we do about the enemies? There’s too many to fight.”

“I have an idea. Look down there.”

Nigel looked to where Ava pointed to see a few cyan colored Wisps trapped in a capsule. “If you aim correctly, those Laser Wisps may let you wipe them all out.

“Okay. Here we go!”

Back down with the boy in the cage, he being brutally shocked by the surrounding Irken soldiers. “Dance, Earth worm! Invader Tak needs a new jester!”

“What happened to the old jester?!” The boy asked.

“Let’s just say Tak’s been waiting a while to throw her victory party. Now DANCE!” They were about to shock him again until they were met with lasers in the back. They turned around to see Nigel shooting at them and Ava readying her swords.

“Step away from the boy!” exclaimed Nigel.

“It’s the GKND! Get ‘em!” And with that, the Irkens started attacking them with their shock rods, while the Dryans drew out swords and started yelling battle cries. Nigel and Ava fought back with hardly any trouble. That is, until the mechs started firing heat seeking missiles. Of course, since it was already too hot in the desert, the missiles just flew wherever and exploded.

“I knew we should’ve did this at night!” said one of the soldiers.

Nigel, however, was getting really sweaty from all this and just wanted it to end. “Alright, that’s enough! I’m ending this now!” With that, he shot open one of the Wisp capsules, freeing the Cyan Wisps. One of the Wisps instantly flew into Nigel’s body, making him glow cyan. “LASER!” His body began to spin as he shot as fast as lightning at all the soldiers and robots, bouncing off of them and leaving a cyan laser trail in his path.

Ava ducked as he bounced around the area rapidly. The caged boy ducked and screamed as Nigel shot toward his direction and destroyed his cage. It was at this point the Wisp wore off. The boy stood up and looked at Nigel standing in front of him. “Wow! Thanks!”

“Don’t mention it!”

“Hey, guys, we have a problem here!” Nigel and the boy looked to see the Irkens and Dryans recovering from the attack.

“You’d think that would be enough to finish them.” The boy said.

“Great. What now?”

The boy looked over on the ground and saw a strange, mechanical backpack. “Hey! One of the robots dropped my backpack!” He ran over to his backpack and quickly put it on. “Check this out!” With that, he pushed a button on his pack and out came a floating disco ball that started playing disco and showing colorful lights. The Irkens and Dryans ceased their attacks and danced to the music. Nigel and Ava stared at them in confusion. “Come on! Let’s get out of here!” the boy said, walking off. The two just shrugged and snuck off with him. Once they were far enough, the boy mumbled to himself, _“3… 2… 1…”_

_BOOOOM!_

The three looked over at the explosion in the distance, watching it form a cloud of sand. “Coool.” Said Nigel before walking off.

**Distant desert, sunset**

“Wow! That disco ball thing you did back there was pretty cool!” Nigel exclaimed. It was already sunset and the three found their selves in a more vast region of the desert.

“Eh, it was nothing. Not as cool as that laser thing you did! Hey! Are you guys really GKND operatives?”

Nigel and Ava exchanged glances. “You know about GKND? But you’re a human!” said Nigel.

“Well, you see, my name is Dib Membrane, and I’m a paranormal investigator from Planet Earth. I heard rumors about a Galactic Kids Next Door from a few friends of mine who work in KND, and I’ve been trying to find their coordinates using a satellite. I came up here looking for a rogue Irken called Zim, who’s been terrorizing the Earth for a while now. He went into space looking for some ‘Number 1’ guy and I followed him. I tracked him slowly on my ship until I got ambushed by these animals driving these cool looking ships! My ship got caught by this really long snake and I was dragged and sold out here. I don’t know where they took my ship.”

“Well, you must be desperate to catch this Zim guy if you came all the way out here.” Replied Nigel.

“Yeah, but I never thought I’d actually meet GKND ops!” Dib bowed. “I’m honored to be in your presence.”

“Riiiight. Hey, by any chance, have you seen any stars around here?”

“Uhhh, not really. But I did overhear the Irkens talking about some Brown Star being found inside an ancient pyramid.”

“Do you think that’s the one?” asked Ava, as they looked to the distance and saw a pyramid miles away.

“It’s a long way.” Nigel observed. “But if a Star Piece is there, I’m willing to look. Let’s go, Ava.”

“WAIT!” exclaimed Dib, running in front of them. “You have to take me with you! It’s always been my dream to work with GKND and now’s my chance! And check this out!” Dib said as his backpack turned into two mechanical arms which he placed on. “With these, I have ten times more strength than I normally do! So, can I join?”

Nigel thought for a moment. “Well, we could always use an extra hand. And I imagine the battles will only get harder from here on out. Aw, what the heck! Sure!”

Dib jumped for joy. “I won’t let you down!”

“Okay! Let’s go!” With the three headed off into the wild sandy yonder. (Play “Planet Tabora Mining Area” from _Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando_.)

_Stage 4: The Wild Sandy Yonder_

_Mission: Venture the vast sandland and reach the Secco Ruins._

The trio of operatives and Dib trekked across the vast, deserted wasteland. The desert seemed much more quiet than before as the sun set in the distance, and much more vacant as only a few Moldorms jumped out in failed attempts to attack the trio. Small whirlwinds spun to life, so the trio kept a safe distance to avoid being sucked in by the windy swirls. The kids kept walking, straight ahead for what felt like miles, but the pyramid still seemed so far away. Eventually, the trio came to a massive gorge, where a thin pathway led into a cave. They crossed the pathway and entered the cavern, where Mutant Sandflies buzzed around. The sandflies flew at the operatives, hungry for their flesh, but the three rapidly swung their arms (Ava her swords) and smacked them away.

They continued to a part in the caves where three tall platforms led over a deep pit of lava. They jumped the first two platforms, but when they reached the third, it began to sink. Ava and Dib held onto Nigel as he shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to a stalactite above the other side, successfully pulling them up safely. They found a room inhabited by lizard-like creatures with long necks, red scaly skin, and one yellow eye. The Dune Crawlers spat a poison acid at the operatives, who backed away from it as Ava started striking one with her swords. One of the Dune Crawlers charged at Dib, but he held it back with his mech arms and dealt a few punches before knocking it down. Nigel tossed shurikens around at the last two Crawlers, quickly taking them out.

“Hey, guys, look at this.” Dib said as he was over by a wall, bending over something. Ava and Nigel came over to him to see it was a strange, blackish purple crystal with a slight phoenix symbol. “It’s some kind of crystal.”

“Strange… I’ve never seen one like this before.” Ava said.

“I wanna take this home and examine it. I could make a fortune!” Dib exclaimed.

“Nah, just leave it.” Nigel suggested. “There’s no use adding extra weight on our shoulders.”

The kids just shrugged and followed Nigel as they left the crystal behind, with Dib sparing one last glance. They crossed a narrow, snaky pathway over another magma pit, which led to the way out of the cave. They were outside again as a few more Moldorms jumped out to attack them, only to be defeated easily by Ava’s swords or Nigel’s blaster. The trio walked up a small hill where a sharp rock sat at the top. There appeared to be something sitting on the rock, and as they got closer, music could be heard, and they found it was the mariachi band.

 _“So many dunes here in the desert, certainly not the place for yoou to looose your car keys…”_ the band leader sang. _“And someone could be watching you through binoculars, and you’re just kids trying to find a Star in a pyramid, but it’s so faar away…”_

The pyramid in the distance was a bit closer now, but it was still rather far away. They continued their journey down the steep hill, toward a strange pile of bones. When they got close to the bones, they jumped back in surprise when a huge Sand Whale popped out of the ground. The Sand Whale had black and red armor, spikes along its fin, sharp teeth, and a single pink eye. The Sand Whale unleashed a beam of pink electricity from its eye that skimmed the ground and tried to zap the operatives. Nigel jumped the beam and tossed his N.I.N.S.T.A.R. at the whale while Ava tossed her blades at its eye. Dib tried to get close enough so he could jump onto it, but the whale only backed away and kept trying to shock him.

Ava ran around the Sand Whale and attempted to toss her blades from behind, but the monster noticed her and turned around. However, this allowed Dib to go up from behind and grab onto the whale’s tail. He made it onto the whale’s head and started pounding away. The whale was knocked to the ground, his electricity shutting off, and Ava ran to lay the final blow into its eye.

The whale barfed out a strange mechanical rod before sinking below the sand. Nigel walked over to pick up and study the rod.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: Z.A.P.P.  
Zapping Attacker Paralyzes Pests**

The trio continued to another cliffside, where a long, metal rail led into another cave. “What would a rail be doing all the way out here?” Nigel asked.

“Maybe the Irkens installed it for some reason.” Ava figured. “Anyways, we can probably grind on it. You two know how to grind, right?”

“Of course I do. Numbuh 5 used to teach me.” Nigel said.

“Um, I might need a lesson.” Dib said.

Nigel took a few steps back and ran forward, his boots allowing him to grind along the metal rail. Ava followed after him, and Dib mimicked their movements as they grinded into the cave. “Hm… that was easy.” Dib said.

“It may get more trickier later.” Ava reminded.

The cave was littered with old metal machinery and minecarts. The kids crossed an old minecart track over another magma chasm to reach some platforms. More Dune Crawlers waited for them, so Nigel tested out his new Z.A.P.P. by waving it forward and releasing a blast of electricity to shock the lizards. “Whoa!” Nigel waved it once more and shocked them again, wiping them out.

“Talk about overkill.” Ava remarked.

They crossed the next few platforms to another point in the cave where Mutant Sandflies were coming out of a Sandfly Spawner. The annoying flies once again buzzed around and tried to snack on their skin, but Nigel wiped them out a lot faster using his Z.A.P.P.. The trio then found a rail that led over a lava chasm and proceeded to grind along. They went along the snaky rail and had to jump to a parallel one when it ran out of road. They kept grinding until that rail was out and jumped to another one on their left.

Soon, they were out of the cave, grinding over the very deep chasm over the canyon. Several broken minecarts were sitting on the parallel rails, forcing the crew to jump over them as they went. The rails went up a slope and were broken ahead, but they leapt over the gap and landed on the next pair. Pretty soon, the rails landed them on the next pathway through the desert. Parallel rows of columns rested on both sides as they continued straight ahead to the pyramid. In just less than a mile of walking, the trio finally arrived at the huge pyramid. As they stopped for a moment to catch their breath, they found that the pyramid was decorated with several bits of Irken technology.

“Well, these are the Secco Ruins.” Nigel panted.

“Looks like the Irkens did some redecorating.” Dib observed.

“If they have a Star in there, we have to get it from them. Let’s move, team.” On Nigel’s command, the three entered the dark entryway of the old pyramid, the mariachi band playing music on a rock behind them,

“And so, our heroes found a new companion, and together, they trekked inside the dangerous pyramid, eventually leading to their untimely demise. In other news, saying ‘R+R’ at the end of every author’s note. A desperate way to get attention? Or to make an idea in the readers’ head click. No one knows…”

 

**And so, there we have a double-stage. Anyway, Planet Secco comes from the _Sonic X_ anime. You may already know Dib from _Invader Zim_. Well, you know the drill by now. I gotta get to bed, so later. Next chapter should have a big action scene. Um… R+R!**

**...**

**_Spoiler alert: Those crystals won’t serve a purpose until_ Legend of the Eight Firstborn _._**


	8. The Rocky Relationship of Tak and Zim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel, Ava, and Dib explore the Secco Ruins. In its depths, they do battle with two Irkens.

**You know what I really like about FanFiction over YouTube? If there’s something you regret putting in your story, a little editing and BOOM! It never existed! Anyway, it’s time to head into the next dungeon, where we learn a new ability, then fight the first phase of our boss. Here we go!**

**_Chapter 8: The Rocky Relationship of Tak and Zim_ **

It was a peaceful morning in Cleveland, Virginia. Mr. Uno stepped out of his home to retrieve the morning paper. At the same time, his next door neighbor was retrieving the morning paper as well and happily greeted Mr. Uno. “’Mornin’, Mr. Uno!”

“Ah, good day to you, Mr. Bobbington! Wonderful weather we’re having, eh wot?”

“It sure is, Mr. Uno! Say, I haven’t seen your son in a while. Where is he?”

“Hmmm, why, I don’t recall having a son. Just a few children that come over to play up in that tree house.”

His neighbor gave a weird look. “Okay, well… have a nice day, I guess.” With that, the two adults went back into their homes.

Once Mr. Uno was inside, he gave an angry expression. Mrs. Uno came in and asked, “So, Dear, how was getting the paper?”

“I can’t take it anymore, Dark Blue! Another minute of hanging around with these _adults_ and I’ll turn to dust in an instant!”

“Oh, calm down, Brown! Dimentia said we could come to the base as soon as all of Nigel’s friends have been decommissioned!”

“But why do we have to hang around here? Has Dimentia even thought this whole thing through?” After speaking, they heard a strange beeping sound coming from the TV. “Ah, speak of the space devil!”

“Let’s go see what she wants, dear.” With that, they walked over to the TV, switching it on, showing none other than the figure of Dimentia.

_“So, Uno clones, how are things down there?”_

“Terrible, Dimentia!” answered Monty Clone, or Brown. “I can’t stand these adults anymore! When can we return to base?”

_“Patience, Brown. As soon as decommissioning time comes for Nigel’s friends, you can return as simple as that!”_

“But it’s hard enough pretending to be decommissioned adults. Why must we pretend to be decommissioned adults who don’t remember their son?”

“So, that the scientists don’t have to worry about his parents going crazy over losing their son out of nowhere.”

“But the longer we keep up this charade, the more suspicious people will get! His cousin, for instance, has been visiting here every now and then asking if he’s home. We kept turning her away, but she’s only getting more desperate. At one point, she tried to climb in through the window of Nigel’s old room, looking for clues that he was here. Now, every time we hear a knock at the door, it’s either Number 10 or some guy in tights riding a horse, trying to sell us… unspeakables.”

_“Don’t worry about her. I had a feeling Little Miss Nosey Reporter would start investigating her cousin’s disappearance, so I thought I’d let Number 11.0 in on the GKND as well to keep her from digging too deep. Of course, he has no idea what we’re really doing!”_

“But are you quite certain 11.0 will keep the secret? He is as much as a reporter as Number 10 is.”

_“Oh, don’t worry. You see, 11.0 and the scientists go by a sort of ‘scientists code’. They keep big secrets like this and only discuss them with each other and never tell anyone. He WILL keep the secret. Especially if he knows what’s good for him AND Number 10.”_

“Yes, well, even so. Why can’t we just let everyone in on the GKND? I mean, it’s not like they’ll go through all the trouble of trying to find our base.”

“Because if Nigel’s friends know he’s serving in a higher power of KND, they’ll all be happy for him, which means they won’t be sad wondering where he is, and if they’re not sad, then we won’t be able to fill the fountain with--“

Dimentia’s sentence was cut short when they heard a knock at the door. Brown walked over and answered it. At the door was a man in tights on a horse.

“Excuse me, sir,” the man on the horse said, “would you be interested in--“

“NO! Get out! Get the HELL out of here!” 

_TROJAN MAAN!_ With that, the man on the horse rode off.

Brown walked back over to Dimentia on the TV and said, “Sorry about that. You were saying?”

 _“Never mind. On to the subject of why I called. According to my Magiblots, there’s been some snooping around down there by our friend from…_ the other side. _And I fear he may be up to something that could cost us dearly. You haven’t noticed anything suspicious, have you?”_

“Not as far as we can tell, dear.” Replied Dark Blue.

_“Just be on the lookout. I get the feeling he may be trying to get close to Nigel. But namely Jirachi, and if Jirachi of all people finds out, we’ll be scheduling a date with the Grim Reaper. In other words, GAME OVER!”_

“Don’t worry, Dimentia. We’ll keep our filthy adult eyes peeled!”

 _“Good. For right now, I need to get a drink from the fountain. Living for thousands of years has its downsides. Number 256 OUT!”_ With that, the clones saluted and the TV switched off. The Uno clones went back to pretending to be adults.

The shadow being, who listened from behind the TV, snuck out through the window and took off for space. Once he was far above Earth’s atmosphere, he drew out his sword and said to it, “Exor. They’re on to us. We better watch our backs from here on, lest we meet up with a terrible fate.

His sword, Exor, replied, “I can think up the worst possible fate: being your sword.”

“Ohh, can’t you be dramatic for once?”

 **Planet Secco** (Play the “Dry Dry Ruins” Theme from _Paper Mario_.)

_Dungeon 2: Secco Ruins_

_Mission: Get to the center of the ruins and find the Star._

Nigel, Ava, and Dib entered the crumbled ruins. Their first room was a small, dark corridor with several columns lined up by the walls. Tiny sandfalls spilled through the ceiling, and cracks were everywhere. They stepped across wobbly platforms over a small pit of quicksand, where Moldorms jumped out at them. Dib beat away the worms with his mech fists easily as the three made it across to a metal, Irken-designed door at the end of the hall. "This door might not open without Irken clearance." Ava said.

"No problem! Leave it to me!" Dib exclaimed as he proceeded to pound the door with his fists, successfully breaking it down.

"I am so glad we added you to the group." Nigel added as Dib smiled proudly.

The three appeared in a large room with a huge chasm of darkness, but several walkways and platforms hovered over the abyss. There were also a few metal pipes letting out steam. They walked down a staircase along the side of a wall that led to the bridge to the first platform. However, two Dryans rose out of sand pits, wielding spiked ball-and-chains as they launched them at the operatives. Dib grabbed both of them and yanked them away from the Dryans. The sand people pulled out swords and attempted to strike, but Ava and Nigel kicked their knees, grabbed the Dryans, and hurled them over the edge.

Ava and Dib held onto Nigel as he shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. onto a stalactite and pulled them to the next walkway. When they tried to walk forward, a bunch of Tetramites came out of the hole in the wall up ahead. The three quickly grabbed onto a metal pipe that was hanging a few feet above them. The pipe stretched across the walkway, so the three kept their grip as they climbed across the pipe, just inches from the Tetramites' grasp. When they reached the other side, Nigel's friends held onto him as he latched his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. onto the pipe that was above the next platform over the pit, evading the Tetramites' reach.

They crossed a bridge that led to a hallway that had a narrow sand river along the side. The three kept going until they reached another bottomless chasm. "Looks like a dead end." Pointed out Ava, not seeing any way across.

"There has to be some way across." Dib replied. "There's no other way."

The two began to hear music coming from a distance. They looked to the left to see the mariachi band riding in an old Egyptian coffin, going down the sand river. "And so, we have our heroes caught between a rock and a hard place as they are clueless as to how to cross the impassable abyss. Will they find a way, or is this the end of their journey? Stay tuned after this to find out."

"But this isn't the end of the chapter!" replied the owl with the horn.

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was… THIS!" The mariachi band screamed as they went over a sandfall, falling into the endless abyss, while still playing their music.

As Nigel and Ava watched the owls fall, Dib looked across the abyss and noticed a large, tall pole on the other side. "Hey, guys! Look over there! That pole looks big enough to be a bridge! If I can knock it over, we might be able to get across!"

"But that thing's HUGE! How are we going to knock it over? Especially from way over here." Ava asked.

"Like THIS!" with that, part of Dib's mechanical arms became a golf club, and a small, blinking golf ball came out of the arms. Dib placed the ball on the ground in front of him and stood where he was facing the pole. "Get the angle just right and…" Dib hit the ball with his golf club and it flew over to the other side, hitting the bottom of the pole and exploding. The explosion caused the bottom of the pole to crumble, allowing it to fall towards the pit with the top side landing on the other side, creating a bridge. Dib got up on the fallen pole and smiled knowing his plan worked. "I call it a Golf Bomb!"

"Great plan, Dib!" Ava said as she and Nigel climbed onto the pole.

"Finally, some praise!"

After they crossed the pole-bridge, Dib had to smash down another metal doorway. They came to a dead end where the path continued above the wall, but Ava simply tossed her swords into the wall, allowing the three to use them as platforms to bounce up. Ava called her swords back as they continued over a pathway. On the right of them was a huge pit covered in cobra snakes. "There always has to be snakes, doesn't there?" Nigel asked.

"Ooh! This is my new chance to try out my new Parsel Speaker!" Dib said as he placed headphones over his ears and aimed a satellite device down at the snakes.

 _"One day: I'm gonna get outta this dungeon and sssee what's out there!"_ a snake exclaimed determinedly.

_"But there'sss nothing else out there beyond the wallss! It's all endless sssand! You heard what happened to the oasis monster."_

_"What kind of god would make a planet with only one topographical feature? I will see what's out there, as sssoon as I find a way out of thiss pit. Ahh, but slithering around in circles is sso fun. I think I'll be here a while."_

Dib put the device away as Ava remarked, "Well, that helps."

"There are some stalactites up there we could probably knock down." Nigel said, pointing at a row of lined-up stalactites on the ceiling. “Wanna whip out that Golf Bomb, Dib?”

“Um, that might not be a good idea. Those stalactites are a little too small, so they might just shatter.”

“Then we’ll need to knock them down with a little less force. Let’s try in here.”

The three entered a nearby mechanical door to a large, dark, circular chamber with a sandpit in the center. They walked down a mini staircase as the door sealed itself with metal bars. They focused their attention on the center as the sand began moving, and a huge Pokey wrapped in white like a mummy emerged from the pit. The Pokey Mummy spun around as it unleashed waves of its wrapping, catching the three operatives. The mummy tried to drag them down into the sand pit, but Ava cut free with her swords, then released the others. The Pokey Mummy threw its wrapping again, but Dib caught a strand this time and pulled hard on it until one of the sections of the Pokey was torn off.

When the section was unraveled, a swarm of Desert Mites crawled out. They began crawling all over the operatives to make them itch, but Ava did a spin attack to shake the ones off of her. Nigel and Dib were captured by the Pokey’s wraps again, but Dib broke himself free as he grabbed the wrapping of the mummy and pulled on it until another segment was unwrapped. Soon, it was only his head left. Dib immediately walked over to the single loose strand on its head and pulled until the mummy was fully unraveled.

When the dust dissolved from the Pokey, they watched as a yellow Wisp shaped like a triangle came out of it. The Wisp shot into Nigel’s body as he began to glow yellow. “I wonder what this one does?” Ava asked.

“I have an idea. Let’s go back outside.” They left the chamber back into the room with the legions of snakes. Nigel looked up at the stalactites and yelled, “DRILL!” He spun around until he was the form of a yellow drill, digging beneath the ground and making his way above the ceiling. He drilled through the ceiling above the stalactites and caused them to shake, and they soon fell from the ceiling and stuck to the ground, making a path for them to cross. Nigel returned to his friends as the Color Power ran out.

“Impressive.” Ava said as they jumped across. “But how can you see when you do that?”

“Must be built-in mole senses.”

When they entered the next door, they were in a room that was totally filled with sand. Ava looked at the M.A.P. and pointed out, “There’s a door buried under the sand.”

“Too bad I didn’t install a digging function in these.” Dib said.

Nigel noticed the cracked wall on the left and walked over to toss a grenade. The wall blew open and released another Drill Wisp, which flew into Nigel’s form. “Let’s see if I can do something. DRILL!” He spun into a drill and dug through the center of the sandpit, digging his tunnel further beneath ground until he dropped into a much lower room.

From upstairs, Dib and Ava watched as the sand slowly drained down Nigel’s hole like a whirlpool. “He did it!” Ava exclaimed.

Down below, Nigel’s room was quickly filling with the sand. “’Course, that might not’ve been the best idea.” He hurriedly looked around the lower chamber and saw another cracked wall. He tossed another grenade and blew the wall open, freeing another Yellow Wisp. He became a drill and dug beneath the wall to begin drilling his way back up to his friends. Ava and Dib watched as Nigel popped back above the ground, and the three entered the next room.

Inside, they saw two Irken children staring into a bucket of Desert Mites. “Hehe! I’m totally gonna scare Invader Scylla with these bugs!” The Irken holding the bucket snickered.

“Shouldn’t you be saving that for the GKND?” Ava asked from behind.

“Yeah, yeah, but in case they don’t come, I wanna scare- WAAH!” The Irkens jumped in fright, accidentally dropping the bucket of bugs. The bugs crawled toward the operatives as the Irkens pulled out ray guns and started shooting. As Nigel shot them back, the Desert Mites began crawling over him and making his skin itch. Ava sliced away the Poison Mites coming at her before running to attack the Irkens. Still shaking from the itching, Nigel hurriedly pulled out his Z.A.P.P. and shocked himself, destroying all of the bugs under his clothes.

After the Irkens were knocked out, some SIRbots suddenly dropped from the ceiling, readying for combat. Dib ran to throw punches at one of the robots, who swiftly avoided as another jumped and kicked him across the head. “These robots are tougher than GIR.” Dib said to himself as he grabbed the foot of a robot before it could kick him. He threw it against the floor and smashed its head. Nigel tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. at another robot, who jumped to the side, but the shuriken came back from behind and still sliced him. When a robot jumped to kick at Ava’s head, she fell back on purpose and caught the robot between her legs, then flipped to smash its head on the floor. Nigel faced the last robot, whose eyes glowed yellow, and smirked as he whipped his Z.A.P.P. and destroyed it, releasing a Drill Wisp.

Nigel became a drill and burrowed beneath the ground in search of something useful. A group of Irken Drillers were also underground, detecting the operative’s presence and beginning to chase him. Nigel swerved around the underground and avoided the Drillers, digging behind them and drilling through them from behind. More Drillers were sent out, but some of them accidentally rammed each other as they all chased Nigel. One of the drills dropped a card, which Nigel dug by and picked up.

When he returned above ground, they approached the door that was sealed with bars and slipped the card through a slot. The red light above the door blinked green as the bars slipped open. In this next room, they appeared along the ledge over a bottomless chasm, with a wide wall on the other side. Dib studied a scanner on his wrist and spoke, “That wall is weak at a few points. Just one hit with the Golf Bomb on each of them should be enough to weaken it.” The bigheaded human stood on the center of the ledge and readied his Golf Bombs. He focused aim on the upper center part and swung, successfully striking it. “One down.” He stepped to his left and took aim on the wall at the very right, and sent his bomb to blow it up. “Two.” He then turned and aimed at the lower left corner, proceeding to whack his Golf Bomb and blow up the whole wall. “Three for three! Have a mice day!”

When the wall crumbled, they found that several Irkens troops were on the other side. The Irkens got into turrets and began to blast the operatives from their safe distance. “Grr! But we’re still not across!” Nigel grunted as he dodged the Irkens’ fire.

“Look, there’s a Cyan Wisp in that capsule!” Ava shouted, noticing the capsule on the other side.

“Okay, one last swing.” Dib said as he readied another Golf Bomb. Nigel tried to distract the Irken turrets by shooting at them, allowing Dib to focus his aim and swing. The bomb flew over and broke the Wisp free from its capsule. The cyan alien flew over and entered Nigel’s body.

“LASER!” Nigel became a laser and zipped across the chasm. He quickly tossed a few grenades to blow away the Irkens before running to flip a lever. A metal bridge extended for Ava and Dib to cross, and they did so as Dib hurried over to swipe a turret from an Irken. The bigheaded boy excitedly began shooting around the area, quickly wiping out any Irken soldier.

Once the area was cleared, they walked to yet another metal door, which Dib had to break open. It led to a hallway that extended to the right. “We should be getting close to the center.” Ava observed.

“Be ready for anything team.” Nigel warned as the trio started their trek down the vast corridor.

As they passed down this long hallway, Nigel and Ava attempted to explain the whole quest to Dib, who took some time to fully understand. Once they were finished, Dib took the time to explain his conflict with this “Zim.”

“Zim’s been trying to take over Earth for about a year or so now, but so far, his attempts have been less than successful. Either by his foolishness or by my superior intelligence!”

“That explains the big head!” Ava joked.

“Yes, well,” replied Dib annoyed, “despite the fact I’ve been saving everyone from certain doom all this time, I’m not exactly the most popular kid in Doomsdale. Probably because everybody’s so oblivious to the truth. I mean, come on! How could anyone be fooled by Zim’s ‘disguises’?”

“Why’s your town called Doomsdale?” Ava asked.

Dib shrugged. “I dunno. Probably because it’s so gloomy compared to the rest of the world.”

“It couldn’t be as gloomy as Endsville.” Nigel replied. “That place is a gloomy wasteland. And real creepy, too.” Nigel shivered remembering his last trip to Endsville.

Eventually, the three made it to a large door with an Irken symbol on it. “You think the Star’s behind that door?” Nigel asked.

“Looks like another job for my mech arms.” Dib figured.

“Well, we better be careful. There may be something waiting on the other side.” Implied Ava.

“The three of us can take ‘em!” exclaimed Nigel. “Galactic Kids Next Door: LET’S GO!” With that, the three charged to the door and broke it down. (‘Course, it was mostly Dib.) (End song.)

On the other side was a large room with a statue of what looked like a sand goddess, meditating and holding flames in her hands. The group walked forward, staring at the statue. “Where do you think the Star is?” Dib asked.

“Closer than you think!”

The team looked around to find the source of the female voice until Dib pointed to the top of the statue and shouted, “UP THERE!”

The group looked up to see a female Irken with purple eyes and armor standing on the head of the statue with a SIRbot with purple eyes. The two leaped down from the statue, landing a few feet in front of the heroes. Dib recognized the Irken to be none other than…

“INVADER TAK!”

“Dib, you know this girl?” asked Nigel.

“Tak is an Irken invader that once came down to Earth to steal Zim’s mission. She was stopped in the end, but we weren’t sure of what happened to her.”

“I’ll tell you what happened!” replied the Irken. “After my plan to suck the Earth’s core dry was foiled, I made my way back to Planet Irk, where I acquired a few weapons and upgrades for my SIRbot! I was going to head back to Earth to get my revenge on Zim, but decided to take over Secco instead! It appears I’ve made the right choice as I found a Star Piece!”

“Where’s the Star Piece?!” Nigel exclaimed.

“That’s not important. What is important is this: the Tallest have assigned me with a mission. A mission to destroy you, Nigel Uno! Three months in GKND and you’ve already caused my Tallest enough pain! Therefore, your journey has to end here!”

“You’re forgetting one thing, Tak: there’s three of us and only two of you!”

“I’ve noticed. Luckily, I’ve prepared for just such an occasion. Allow me to introduce my robot, FIR! (Form Identity Robber!) Now, show them what you can do!” Fir saluted and walked over to Ava, scanning her body. In an instant, she transformed into an exact replica of Ava.

“This dress looks SO much prettier on me than it does on you!” FIR wittingly replied in Ava’s voice.

“HEY!”

“So, your robot can take forms. Big deal. We’re still gonna kick your butt!” exclaimed Nigel.

“Well, we’ll soon see about… Huh?” Tak stopped mid-sentence as she felt the room begin to shake. The ceiling above Tak exploded and two screaming figures came plummeting down. Tak screamed as she was crushed by the two figures. Once the smoke from the impact cleared, the two figures revealed their selves to be Zim and GIR.

Zim hopped up, noticing Numbuh 1, and shouted, “Now, Number 1! Prepare to face screaming temporal doom at the hands of ZIM!”

“ZIM!” Dib exclaimed.

“DIB?! What are you doing here?!”

“I’m here to stop you, Zim!”

Tak recovered from Zim’s landing and looked at him angrily. “ZIM! What are you doing here?! You’re supposed to be banished!”

“I’m here to please my Tallest by destroying Number 1!”

“Destroying Number 1 is MY mission! Now, get out of here before you ruin everything!”

“SILENCE! I didn’t come all the way here tracking Number 1 with these sunglasses I stole from Sector V for nothing!” he exclaimed as he pulled out the aforementioned sunglasses.

Numbuh 1 gasped, recognizing the sunglasses as his own, which he entrusted to Numbuh 5.

“Just go away, Zim! You nearly ruined my life 50 years ago and I won’t let you ruin it again!”

“NEVER! I WILL destroy the human and I WILL prove to be a better invader than you!”

The trio, along with GIR and FIR, kept their positions and stared as the two Irkens argued. “Something tells me these two don’t get along very well.” Guessed Nigel.

“HEY!” Dib exclaimed catching the Irkens’ attention. “Are you two gonna fight us or each other?!”

Zim and Tak exchanged glances before turning back to the heroes. “Very well then. I will destroy you!” exclaimed Tak.

“Not if I destroy them first!” Zim replied as they readied their battle poses, along with the robots.

“Looks like we have a 3 on 4 fight.” Nigel pointed. “How is this going to work?”

“I can take Tak and Copycat easy!” exclaimed Ava confidently.

“I’ll deal with Zim. I have a few questions for him.” Said Nigel.

“Guess I’ll take Gir.” Dib replied. “He shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Sounds fair to me!” Zim replied. “GIR! Attack the bigheaded one!”

“YES, MY LORD!”

“Come, FIR! Let’s show this white alien what we’re made of!” ordered Tak, drawing out her own two swords.

“YES, MA’AM!” saluted FIR, still in Ava’s form. With that, the three heroes and four villains were engaged in battle. (Play the “Egg Breaker” theme from _Shadow the Hedgehog_!)

_Sub-boss: Invader Tak and Invader Zim_

Ava was striking as fast as she could with her swords at FIR, who only mirrored her every move. She was struggling trying to defend herself from both, FIR and Tak. Dib was trying to punch GIR with his mechanical arms, but GIR easily slipped away from him. After a few more dodges, GIR’s arms turned into missiles and fired at Dib. Dib was luckily able to dodge the incoming missiles, but was surprised to see that GIR could do that at all. “Since when does GIR shoot missiles?!”

“Since the Tallest sent over upgrades right before I started this journey!” replied Zim, while dodging Numbuh 1’s attacks.

Numbuh 1 was trying his best to attack Zim, but to no avail due to his heavy astronaut suit. He tried shooting Zim with his blaster, but the Irken dodged every shot and kicked the blaster out of Numbuh 1’s hands and up into the air. Zim caught the blaster, and smashed it in half.

“HA HA HA HA! Foolish human! You’re weak! Just like Sector V was before you! It’s a wonder why they haven’t all been decommissioned yet!”

Anger filled Numbuh 1’s expression as he screamed and ran towards the Irken and successfully dealt a few blows on him. Eventually, he got worn out, and Zim slipped away from his grasp.

“A lucky shot, Human. But I’m still in command here! No one can defeat the wrath of ZIM!”

Numbuh 1 looked over to see that Ava was worn out as well and was about to be struck by Tak. Numbuh 1 smirked as he thought of an idea. “You just may be right about that, Zim! In all my years as an operative, I have never seen anyone so skilled at combat!”

This caught Tak’s attention. “WHAT?!”

“I mean, really.” Nigel continued. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tallest nominated you for ‘greatest combat skill’!”

Dib looked at him strangely and realized where he was going with this. “Yeah! I’ve been fighting him for about a year or so, and I’ve never been able to defeat him! He certainly is a good invader if I ever did see one!”

Zim smiled triumphantly. “Glad to see you all recognize my greatness!”

“Now wait just a second!” Tak exclaimed. “Zim couldn’t fight off a bee! I’m the better invader!”

“I don’t know, Tak.” Replied Nigel. “I don’t think anyone could be as good as Zim right here. You’re just second rate!”

“NO! I AM the better invader! ME! ME! ME! And I’ll prove it!” With that, she shoved Nigel out of the way and ran for Zim. The two Irkens then began to duel with each other.

“Go, Master!” GIR cheered.

“Oh, please. Zim couldn’t handle himself against a fly!” FIR remarked, still in Ava’s form.

“No one talks about Zim that way!” With that, the two robots began to beat on each other as well. FIR turned back to her normal self to make it seem more even. The three heroes just stood and smirked as they watched the two rival groups beat each other.

“Well, that went easier than expected.” replied the bald Brit.

Tak slipped behind Zim and kicked him against the wall, and as she charged to kick him again, he turned around and shot his plunger gun in her face. As she tried to pull it off, Zim slide-kicked Tak off her feet. Zim was suddenly tackled by FIR, but GIR shot over and kicked FIR away. Zim spared a glance at Tak before looking to Nigel, then running to attack the bald Brit. Nigel was tackled away, but he kicked Zim off before pulling out his N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and tossing it at Zim, doing a few strikes. Zim recovered and charged at Nigel, locking arms with him. Tak finally pulled off the toiler plunger and grabbed Zim from behind. She threw him to the ground before glaring at Nigel, but Zim got up and tackled her again.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Tak exclaimed, stopping the fight as she threw Zim off. She sheathed her swords and pulled out a remote from her pocket. She pushed the remote, causing the statue to slide to the left, revealing a secret passage. “This was just a minor setback. I have a back-up plan that will destroy every one of you! Come, FIR!” FIR saluted and followed Tak into the secret passage.

“Hey! Wait for me!” exclaimed Zim, running after her with GIR by his side.

“Come on! Let’s go after them!” exclaimed Nigel. And with that, the trio followed the Irkens into the secret passage, prepared for anything that may come their way.

Tak and FIR were hightailing through the long corridor of the secret passage, with Zim, GIR, and the heroes hot on their tail. With Zim close behind her, Tak shouted, “Get lost, Zim! Can’t you see by now that the Tallest don’t care about you?”

“You’re wrong! The Tallest DO care about me! Just as they care about all kids!”

“While the Tallest may care about all other Irken children, you’re the one they can’t stand! To them, you’re just as annoying as those GKND! You don’t have what it takes to spread adult tyranny!”

“NO! I DO have what it takes! And I’ll prove it once I destroy the human and retrieve the Star Pieces!”

“While your determination is admirable, I can’t risk you ruining the Tallests’ plans. So, I have to destroy you along with the GKND. And I have the perfect monster for the job!” Tak said as she and FIR ran faster through the hall.

“COME BACK!” Zim shouted, trying to catch her. The GKND operatives (and Dib) chased after them closely behind. Finally, they saw a light at the end of the tunnel and when they reached it, they ended up in a huge, circular room with paintings of Irken soldiers and robots on the walls. There were also rails that spiraled around the room upwards until they reached a complete circle at the end. A large, sandy whirlpool with a gigantic skeleton demon was in the center.

The skeleton had horns on its head and some of its bones appeared to be missing and replaced with mechanical ones. In the skeleton’s rib cage was a large glass container, and on its head was some sort of device with cords connecting to the central container, as well as two circular slots on the top of the head. The skeleton appeared to have a stem that went down into the sand pool.

The gang, along with Zim and GIR, stopped as they noticed Tak and FIR sitting on the head of the fossil. “HA HA HA!” Tak laughed. “Don’t think you’ve beaten me yet! Like all good invaders, I have a Plan B! Check this out!” With that, she pulled out that same remote from before and pushed it. The device on the skeleton’s head began to glow red, along with the skeleton’s eyes. The skeleton began to shake and rise up, towering over the gang. “It’s amazing what you can do with old, broken fossils, is it not? All it took was a few mechanical bones and a life support pack to turn this baby into the ultimate fossil! I call it: Skelbot! And now for the real kicker!” With that, she snapped her fingers and Skelbot reached his hands and dug around in the sand until it pulled out…

“THE STAR PIECE!” The heroes and Zim shouted.

“That’s right! And now I’ll show you what these Star Pieces can do!” Tak said as the Skelbot shoved the Star Piece into its mouth, swallowing it and sending it into the central container. “HA HA HA! Now I’ll show you that Skelbot is the strongest weapon in the Irken arsenal!”

The gang backed away in slight fear of the massive half-robot fossil. Dib turned to Zim, holding out his hand, and asked, “Hey, Zim: what do you say we put aside our little struggle and fight this thing together?”

Not really seeing any other option, Zim replied, “For now, Human!” taking his hand and shaking it. The Skelbot roared, as it was ready for battle. (Play the “Stallord 1” theme from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_.)

_Boss fight: Skelbot_

The Skelbot smashed his hand to the ground attempting to crush the heroes, who dodged out of the way just in time. Zim noticed a rail coming out of the ground that went up into the spiraling rails. He ran and hopped onto the rail and began to grind upwards with no trouble. Tak noticed this and yelled, “STOP HIM!” as Skelbot turned his head and breathed fire on the rail in front of Zim. Before Zim could be burned, he drew out his goo gun and fired goo at the monster’s mouth, blocking its fire, allowing Zim to continue grinding.

Soon, Zim grinded to the top of the room, where the rails just made a complete circle. At this point, the goo melted off Skelbot’s mouth and it prepared to shoot more fire at Zim. Zim quickly drew out his grappling plunger and fired it to the top of Skelbot’s head, allowing it to haul him over. Once he was on its head, he struck the life support pack, causing it to shut off. “NO!” Tak screamed as the Skelbot fell over, knocking her and Zim onto the safe foothold where the heroes were. The four of them ran over to where Tak was and dealt some blows on her, damaging her armor. Meanwhile, FIR was busy fixing up the life support pack and got it up and running again. Tak hopped back onto the head as the fossil rose up again.

Once it was up, Skelbot looked over to the rails and shattered them, preventing anyone from using them to reach its head. Afterwards, Tak whistled and a few doors opened up on the walls by the ceiling and some SIRbots, carrying two capsules, one with a Yellow Wisp and one with a Cyan Wisp, and placed the capsules onto the spots on the Skelbot’s head connecting to the life support pack. Tak laughed as the Skelbot gained more power.

“What do we do, now?” Ava shouted.

Dib thought for a moment and said, “I have an idea! But I need you guys to distract him, so I can get around to the back!”

“Okay. Let’s do it!” Nigel replied as he and Zim began shooting the front side of the monster, while Dib ran as fast as he could around the large room to get behind it, running by GIR, who payed the fight no mind, as he sat where he was drinking a smoothie.

Once Dib was perfectly behind the Skelbot, he drew out his golf club and golf Bomb and took careful aim at the head. He soon hit the Golf Bomb with enough force to send it flying and destroying the capsule containing the yellow Wisp. Tak gasped as the Wisp flew down towards Numbuh 1 and into his body.

The bald operative began to glow yellow as his body began to spin and turn into a yellow drill in an instant. Afterwards, he dove into the sand pool and began to drill underground. Tak saw this and Skelbot fired a few drills from his mechanical stem, which dug into the sand pool, searching for the bald operative. Numbuh 1 drilled his way through the underground, avoiding any drills that came his way. He soon came in contact with a weak spot in the Skelbot’s stem and drilled through it. This caused the Skelbot to nearly lose balance. Afterwards, Nigel shot out of the sand pool and reverted to his normal form.

“Looks like it’s just about finished.” Dib said.

“I bet I could finish it if I had that Cyan Wisp.” Nigel replied.

“Okay, you distract it and I’ll hit it from behind again!” With that, they repeated the same process, with Dib destroying the capsule holding the Cyan Wisp with his Golf Bomb. The Wisp instantly flew to Nigel’s body.

“LASER!” Nigel shouted as he became a cyan laser and bounced around the room, making Tak dizzy. Nigel kept bouncing until he shot into the central capsule holding the Star, causing the entire monster to explode. The explosion sent Tak, FIR, and the Skelbot head flying into the air and landing into the center of the sand pool. They quickly sank into the sand upon impact. (End song.)

The Brown Star Piece was simply floating in midair above the center of the sand pool, completely unguarded. “IT’S MINE!” Zim shouted as he drew out his plunger grappler and prepared to fire at the Star Piece. Just as he was about to fire, the Skelbot head came flying out of the sand pool with Tak on top and FIR on the bottom, with her rockets activated, carrying the head.

Tak immediately grabbed that Star Piece and said, “HA HA HA! You didn’t think you’d defeat me that easily, did you? I’m down, but no WAY I’m out! Now then…” With that, she opened the life support pack like a lid and placed the Star Piece inside. The pack started glowing red once more and the Skelbot head began flying on its own, and FIR flew to the top of the head, knowing she didn’t need to carry it anymore. Tak then pulled her remote once more and pushed it, opening the same doors the SIRbots came out of. Instead of SIRbots, sand falls came out and a hole appeared in the center of the sand pool. “I’d love to stay and play more, but I’m afraid you’re all about to become just more fossils for archaeologists to dig up! Smell ya later!” Tak said as the Skelbot head flew down into the hole.

The safe foothold where the heroes were standing then collapsed and the group began to slowly slide into the hole along with the sand. “Quick, GIR! Activate your rockets!” Zim ordered to his robot.

“Can’t. I’m out of fuel.”

“WHAT?! How could you be out?! We restocked before we came here!”

“Yeah, but I needed room for the muffins.” GIR answered as he took out a muffin and began to eat it. Zim swatted the muffin out of his hands and threw GIR to the ground on his back. He hopped onto the robot and began to use him as a sled as he slid down into the hole.

Dib’s backpack then became two skis which he hopped into. Two ski sticks came out as well, which Dib used to slide steer his way down the hole leaving Nigel and Ava behind.

“HEY! What about us?!” Nigel shouted. He and Ava stood wondering what to do until they heard music playing in the distance. “Hey, is that…”

“LOOK!” Ava pointed to one of the sandfalls and Nigel looked to see the mariachi band coming down the fall, riding in the same coffin from before. Nigel and Ava exchanged happy glances as they noticed room in the coffin for the two of them. They immediately ran over and hopped in.

“Good evening, passengers.” Spoke the band leader. “This is your captain speaking, reminding you to keep all arms and legs inside the coffin at all times and watch out for any incoming hazards. ‘Cause it’s gonna be real bumpy where we’re going!” With that, they all screamed as they slid down the sandy hole, with the mariachi band still playing their music. (Play the “Stallord 2” Theme from _Twilight Princess_.)

The gang, along with Zim and GIR, ended up in a long tunnel, sliding down a speeding sandy river. They were catching up with Tak and FIR, who were riding the flying Skelbot head, while at the same time avoiding all sorts of hazards, like rocks or large poles. Tak looked back and freaked when she saw her enemies chasing her. The Skelbot head turned around and began firing fireballs at the group. Tak took out a machinegun and began shooting at the team, but they were able to dodge every shot.

As they got close, Nigel tossed shurikens at the floating fossil, damaging it. Eventually, the life support shut off, letting the head fall into the sandy river. The gang made their way over to the head and started laying blows against the life support. “NO! That’s a delicate device!” The head sparked to life and shook the heroes off of it. It sped ahead of them all again as they narrowly swerved around rocks. Tak began firing her machinegun at stalactites, causing them to fall down.

“Gyaaaah!” Zim screamed when a stalactite fell for him, knocking him and GIR into the sand.

When Nigel and Ava’s coffin drew closer to the flying head, Ava hopped off of Nigel’s hands and flipped onto the head, striking the life support with her swords. The device shut off, and the head fell into the sand. Dib skied his way over and got onto the device, his skis turning back into mech arms as he proceeded to beat it away.

“STOP! You’re going to-“ Tak shouted, but to her dismay, the life support was seriously cracked and damaged. At this point, the pack was starting to crackle and spark. “Nooo! My beautiful Skelbot!”

“Hey, what’s that?” Dib asked, pointing up ahead. Everyone looked to see a light coming up. The next thing everyone knew, they were shooting out of a hole in the wall in the middle of the desert and landing in the sand. (End song.) Nigel and Ava, in their coffin, landed smoothly with the mariachi band. Dib landed on his face, getting sand in his mouth, and Tak and Zim got their heads stuck in the ground from the land.

The Skelbot head landed shortly after and exploded after a few seconds, releasing the Star Piece, which shot toward the sky and headed toward the Star Sanctuary. FIR pulled Tak out of the sand, and Tak looked at Numbuh 1 and said, “You were lucky this time, Number 1. But luck is like ice cream. It can’t last forever. Next time we meet, you better be ready!” With that, she pushed that same remote, summoning her ship, which she and FIR hopped onto.

As they watched her leave, Dib asked, “Is it me, or is Tak kinda cute?”

Nigel looked at him surprised, but decided to shake it off. “Aw, never mind! I have more important matters to deal with!” he said as he walked over to Zim. He pulled the Irken out of the sand and held him up by the shirt collar. “Alright, Zim. What did you do to Sector V?!” he asked angrily.

“Relax, Human. I merely put them in a sticky situation. They should be out by now, but I don’t think they’ll be ‘Sector V’ before long!”

“What are you talking about?!”

“I’d love to answer your question, but I have somewhere to be!” Zim kicked Nigel and broke free from his grip, hurrying away. “Come, GIR!

As GIR recovered from the fall, Ava walked over to him and asked, “Say, GIR, why do you hang out with that Irken, anyway? Wouldn’t you rather come with us?”

GIR shook his head and replied, “Ahh you crazy? Zim is mah beeest fwiend! I wouldn’t abandon him for the universe!”

This statement tugged a string in Nigel’s heart.

“Come ON, GIR!”

“Okee!” GIR dashed over and jumped onto Zim’s back.

Zim activated his jetpack and flew off as he shouted, “Until we meet again, humans!”

“I’ll catch you eventually, Zim!” Dib vowed. “Wait, why didn’t he use that before?”

Ava looked at Nigel and noticed his upset expression. “What’s wrong, Nigel?”

“N…Nothing. Hey, what do you think Zim meant when he said… my friends wouldn’t be ‘Sector V’?”

“I’m sure he’s just trying to mess with your head. I mean, if what you say is true, then nothing should be able to stop your team, right?”

Nigel gave a small smile. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“HEY, LOOK!” Dib shouted. The two looked to where he pointed and saw a black and grey ship that looked like an Irken’s. “MY SHIP!” Dib shouted once more as he ran over to his ship and started hugging it. “Good old S.S. Dib!”

“How did it get all the way out here?” Ava asked, walking over to the ship with Nigel.

“Who cares! We have a ride back to our ship!” exclaimed Nigel.

“Alright, then.” Said Dib, getting into his ship. “Let’s get going!”

**Zim’s ship**

In space, Zim and GIR were back in their ship, and Zim was looking at a beeping device in his hand. “Foolish Dib! Using an inferior tracking device to… TRACK me! And following me all the way up here!” Zim crushed the tracking device with his fist, reducing it to rubble. “Try and find me now, Human!” He then looked to see his ship was running low on fuel. “Running low on fuel. We’re getting close to Planet Corneria. Come, GIR. Let’s go refuel there! And maybe we can find some weapons to use against those GKND!”

GIR was just happily sucking down his smoothie. “I wanna eat some waffles!”

“Rest well, Nigel Uno. For you must be prepared the next time you encounter _Zim_!”

“Yeeaah, ‘cause we about to bring some cookies.” GIR said.

“Heh heh…” Zim then thought back to what his companion said back on Secco. “…GIR?”

GIR slurped down the smoothie and asked, “Hmmmm?”

“…You’re my best friend, too.”

After another slurp, GIR smiled. “Awww.”

“Okay,” Zim lightly smiled, “let’s get going.”

**Star Haven**

Back in the Star Sanctuary, Dimentia was sitting on the edge of the Fountain of Dreams, with her feet in the water, and looking at her mirror. Her mirror showed visions of the sad expressions of Sector V, Numbuh 10, Lizzie, and Rachel. She focused her attention mostly on Rachel. _“Ah, the miserable humans. How they cry. Their tears flow like sad chowder.”_ She looked over to the Brown Star that rested on its pedestal, then looked to the fountain water that crawled onto her body and seeped into her skin, causing a few wrinkles on her body to vanish. _“And it keeps me so alive!”_

 

**Well, there you have the second boss fight. I do own the Skelbot, but not its origin, which is the Stallord from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_. This is the first time the mariachi band has any significant importance. Later in the story, they’ll have a much major role. Well, you know what to do. I don’t think I need to remind you the whole thing in detail again, so later.**


	9. Dimentia Talks of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel asks Dimentia why she forbids romance in GKND H.Q..

**Yawn, what a nap! Alright, time to write some stories! I think we’ve established what I do and do not own, so let’s go.**

**_Chapter 9: Dimentia Talks of Love_ **

On the Irken flagship, known as the Massive, the Almighty Tallest were sitting on the couch in their private quarters, looking disappointedly at Tak, who was speaking to them through their TV screen, looking pretty beat-up. Orbot and Cubot were also in the room. “We’re very disappointed in you, Tak.” said Red.

“Yeah.” replied Purple. “You said-” His sentence was cut short as there was the sound of a loud vacuum in the background. The Tallest and the robots turned to their right to see a Hispanic human maid in a pink gown, white apron, yellow gloves, black shoes and hair, and glasses vacuuming the floor.

“H-Hey! Consuela!” Red called. “No vacuuming during one of our scenes!”

The maid, known as Consuela, turned off her vacuum and replied, “Misser Red, we need more lemon pledge.”

“Well, go to the store and get some.” Red replied, annoyed.

“Noo. I no have the money. You go.”

“How about I lend you the money, and you go to the store and buy some?”

“Nooo.” With that, she went back to her vacuuming. The Tallest just sighed.

“Anyway,” continued Red as he turned his attention back to Tak on the TV screen, “you said you had things under control, Tak. You had the Brown Star at your disposal, but you go and lose it along with the planet.”

 _“Look, it wasn’t my fault.”_ replied Tak. _“I would’ve had those guys if it wasn’t for Zim dropping in unannounced and ruining everything!”_

“Wait a minute!” Red replied. “ZIM?! Didn’t we have him banished?”

_“Not good enough, it seems. He broke into my lair and practically gave the GKND that Star!”_

“Of course.” Red sighed. “The only way to dispose of rogue Irken soldiers is to lock them away. We’ll send a message to every soldier stating that Zim is officially on the most wanted list, but for right now, you should go and rest up Tak.”

“Go to Planet Aquaria!” suggested Purple. “It’s the best place for a vacation!”

 _“Will do, my Tallest. And I assure you, I’ll get him next time!”_ With that, the screen shut off.

“Well, now that that there business is outta the way,” said Cubot, “what do y’all reckon we should do about this ‘Number 1’?”

“I ‘reckon’ we should fix that chip! ORBOT! Is it ready yet?” Red shouted.

“Oh, yes! And I have it right here!” he said as he held a small chip.

“Well, put it in!”

Orbot opened a slot in Cubot’s neck and began tinkering. “The think bone’s connected to the talk bone! The talk bone’s connected to the mouth bone!” he said in a sing-song voice. “That should do it!”

“Good.” Replied Red. “I don’t think anything could’ve been more annoying than that cowboy chatter.”

“YARR!” screamed Cubot in a pirate voice, making the Tallest leap off the couch in surprise. “Feelin’ ship-shape with me new voice chip, I am, arrgh! Ah beggin’ yer pardon, squires, but what do ye suppose we be doin’ about this Nigel Uno lubber?”

“I think that’s the wrong chip.” Stated Orbot.

“Really?! Are you sure he doesn’t normally speak in pirate?!” exclaimed Red sarcastically.

“I like the pirate voice!” Purple replied.

“Ugh! Never mind! Call in the Star Wolf Team! Surely, they have the skills to dispose of this new operative.”

Orbot gave a worried expression. “Are you quite sure that’s a good idea, sirs? You know they have Rattlesnake Jake in their gang, now. He’s the Grim Reaper, you know.”

“Aye, he be more vicious than a crazy lady with a germ phobia, he is!”

“I don’t care if he’s the Grim Reaper or the Demon King himself. Just go get them!”

“Well, worry not, sires! Me and matey here will have those swabbies over in a jiffy!” Cubot exclaimed as he sped off.

“On the bright side, he’s a lot more exotic, now!” said Orbot.

“Just go get Star Wolf and FIX THAT CHIP!” At Red’s command, Orbot shot off after his piratey companion.

**GKND H.Q.**

Nigel, Ava, and Dib were heading back to GKND HQ, and Dib gaped at seeing the enormous space station, which was, unsurprisingly, in the shape of Dimentia’s head. When they landed in the hangar and went to the main room, they were greeted by Dimentia, Jeremy, and Gabe.

“Another job well done!” exclaimed Dimentia. She then noticed Dib and asked, “Who’s this?”

“Oh, uh, Dimentia, this is Dib Membrane. He came all the way from Earth to find an Irken called Zim. He helped us while we were on Secco.” Nigel answered. “Dib, this is--“

“NUMBUH 256! Supreme Leader of all GKND, Dimentia herself!” Dib exclaimed excitedly. “You’re more beautiful than I imagined!”

Everyone else in the room was in great shock. Dimentia herself just blushed. The last time someone thought she was pretty was… Dimentia shook the whole thought off, not wanting to go down that road again. “Well, Dib, I appreciate you helping my operatives, but I’m afraid we can only have one operative per planet. Now, if you just promise not to say anything about this whole thing, you can pack your things and be on your way.”

“WHAT?! But I just found the GKND Headquarters! I can’t go back to Earth! I WON’T! At least not without Zim! You can’t send me back! Please let me stay!” Dib shouted as he got down on his knees and begged.

“You know, Dimentia,” Nigel started, “we wouldn’t have been able to get that Star without Dib’s help.”

“Yeah!” Ava replied. “And we can really use his technical know-how!”

Dimentia looked at the begging Dib, and thought for a moment before saying, “Okay, you can stay.”

“YEESS!!”

“But only until you catch this Zim character. Afterwards, we’re sending you straight back to Earth.”

“Understood.” Dib replied, with a lot less motivation in his voice.

“Just one more thing, Nigel.”

“Yes?”

“Who are they?”

Nigel turned to see Dimentia was pointing at the mariachi band, who just stood there nearly motionless. “Uh, this is my mariachi band.” He answered, unsure. “They’re here to follow me around and narrate some parts of my journey, while playing music.”

Dimentia thought for a moment. “Well, this place could use some jazzing up. You guys can hang around as long as you don’t get in anyone’s way.” The owls smiled. “Now, if anyone needs me, I’ll be in my office. Ciao!” With that, she teleported away.

“Man! How cool is this?!” Dib exclaimed. “I’m actually working with GKND! This is a paranormal investigator’s dream come true!”

“How about we give you the tour?” Ava offered.

“You guys go do that. I need to speak with Dimentia.” Nigel said before walking off.

“Okay. See you later, Nigel.” Ava replied as they watched him walk off.

**Grand Supreme Galactic Leader Dimentia’s Throne Room**

Dimentia was back in her office/throne room, along with her Magiblots. “So, what’s new?” asked Blue.

“Nigel and Ava found another Earth kid on Secco, called Dib. He’s only staying for a short while, but I fear his paranormal investigator instincts may cause him to get nosey. I want the three of you to keep an eye on him while he’s here.”

“But what do you plan to do about You-Know-Who?” asked Blue.

“Don’t worry. I doubt anyone on Earth will listen to what a monster has to say. Especially since he still has a debt to repay. In the meantime, we-“

“Dimentia.”

Dimentia turned around, startled, to see Numbuh 1 standing in the doorway. “Oh, Number 1!”

“ _Numbuh_ 1.”

“Whatever. How long have you been there?”

“I just arrived. Who are they?”

“Oh, these are the Magiblots! They come from my planet. They may be creatures of darkness, but they’re ever so loyal!” She replied with a smile.

“Riiight. Anyway, I need to ask you something, Dimentia.”

“Anything for a loyal operative!”

“Why don’t allow your operatives to date anyone?”

She was silent before answering. “Because, of all the things that could cause the disease, from newspapers to yucky vegetables, love is the worst of them all. It causes nothing but pain and misery. And we kids shouldn’t have to trouble ourselves with it. Take your ex-girlfriend, Lizzie, for example, she was overbearing and overwhelming, always trying to pull you away from your important duties. That’s exactly the reason why I sent Gabe and Jeremy to try and break you up.”

“But they didn’t break us up. The Computer did.”

“I know, and that’s another example. Love makes people do all sorts of stupid and crazy things. Your Computer was overwhelmed by love for you and tried to nearly kill both you and Lizzie. Thankfully, she was able to break you up, but it would’ve been nice if it self-destructed WITH Lizzie!” Dimentia chuckled.

“Well, I know my relationship with Lizzie didn’t go so well, but not all relationships end up bad. I mean, if me and Rachel started going out, I think we might’ve had a chance.”

“And THAT’S the reason why I couldn’t let you say good-bye to her. I’m well aware that you have those feelings for Rachel, and I had to keep you from admitting them, lest you have a repeat of your relationship with Lizzie.”

“Now, hold on! I highly doubt Rachel would be as overbearing as Lizzie!”

“All love is bad, Nigel. It takes away from us what’s truly important: our duties as operatives. Sure, love may seem pleasant and warming at first, but it only leads to hurt and betrayal.”

“Well, I don’t really think Rachel would do anything to hurt or betray me.”

“Is that so? If you don’t believe me, think back to the very last time you saw Rachel. What happened? Did she sound in love with you? Or…”

Nigel sighed as his expression went down. “She kicked me off the cake mission-”

“Kicked you off the cake mission!” Dimentia repeated instantly. “The mission she KNOWS you’ve been looking forward to! And she gave it to your arch rival to boot! Now, why would she do that if she loved you?”

“She had her reasons!”

“She doesn’t love you! Even when you loved her! That’s the kind of pain I’m talking about!”

“Well, if she knew that was going to be the last time we saw each other, it would’ve been different!”

“Oh, don’t get me started! She probably doesn’t even notice you’re gone! And let’s face it, looking back, neither of them really cared for you! Your cousin always gossiped about you behind your back, your friends at Sector V liked to make fun of your butt! Be it friendly love, family love, or girl/boyfriend love, it never turns up good. The only real friends you have are the ones here in GKND.”

While Numbuh 1 had to admit some of this was true, he was angry at Dimentia for saying all this.

“Hey, sorry if you’re mad, but I’m just pointing out what’s already true, even if the truth hurts.”

Nigel took a small glance at her. “Yeah, right.”

Dimentia smiled. “Oh, come now. Listen to your good friend, Dimentia, won’t you? Have I ever steered you wrong? Led you astray? No! And that is why:” the throne room began to get darker and Dimentia sat on her throne and began to sing.

_The quickest way to break your heart_

_Make you depressed and ill_

The Magiblots snuck up behind Nigel and binded him with strings.

_Is to get tangled UP inside_

_The side-effects could kill!_

_All passion is a waste of time_

_A deadly game pour vous_

At this point, Nigel broke away from the strings and Dimentia flew down to him and looked him in the eye.

_I am your friend, your cher ami_

_I WOULDN’T LIE TO YOU!_

_If you must love someone, may I suggest_

_You love yourself, just think it through!_

_She took out her mirror and held it to his face._

_You’ll never leave and you will find you’ll get more rest!_

_You’ll always feel as good as new!_

_Your freedom is the most important thing, my friend!_

_You must be STRONG! You mustn’t bend!_

The Magiblots were just dancing in the background.

_Don’t talk for hours_

_Don’t send flowers_

_Don’t write poems_

_Don’t sing songs_

_Nor dance beneath the stars that shine above!_

_You should never fall in love!_

The Blue Magiblot went up to Nigel and shouted, “Oh, don’t do it!” The Red Magiblot then took out a hypnotizing watch shaped like a heart, held it in front of Nigel, and Dimentia sang:

_As soon as your heart rules your head_

_Your life is not your own._

_It’s a HELL when someone’s always there!_

_It’s bliss… to be alone!_

The Magiblots then took out three pictures: one of his friends, one of his family, and one of Rachel.

_And love of any kind is bad_

_Of friends, family, or HER._

They tore up the pictures in that order.

_They take up so much precious time!_

_And people end up like GIR!_

With that, she showed a picture of GIR running around like an idiot. Nigel looked at the torn picture of Rachel and began chasing the Magiblots angrily.

_Love takes the wildest heart and makes it tame!_

_If you’re turned on, then just turn off!_

The Red Magiblot then smacked his head up and down like a light switch.

_Emotions are a thing all great operatives overcame_

_Please don’t make THIS your catastrophe!_

Red Magiblot then showed him a picture of a brown-haired boy with brown eyes and red glasses, who looked like he could be his and Rachel’s son.

_Don’t get attached to anyone or anything._

_There’s nothing worse than things that cling!_

_You’ll go to pot, you’ll turn to drink_

_You’ll never rest, you’ll end up mad_

_And looking like some poor demented DOVE!_

She held his face up to hers.

_You must never fall in love._

She released him and backed away.

_Don’t. Fall. In LOVE!_

Once she was finished, the room lit up to its original brightness. “Now, do you understand?”

“Frankly, I’m not sure what to believe anymore.”

“(Well, then that was three days of rehearsing spent well.) But why don’t you go get some sleep? You’ve had a long day. A good night’s rest might be just what you need.”

Nigel was silent. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”

“Oh, that reminds me: I got you something!” With that, she snapped her fingers, and an alarm clock appeared in her hands. “I know how that alarm clock sound always bugs you in the morning, so I got you this one! Check it out!” She pushed a button on the alarm clock, which made a sound that went:

_HAANH! HAANH! HAANH!_

“What do think?”

Nigel looked at it strangely. “Well, it’s less noisy.”

“Perfect! Now, run along and get some rest! You’ll need it to find all those shiny Star Pieces!” Nigel spared one last glance at Dimentia and walked off. Once he was gone, she turned back to her Magiblots. “I think that went pretty well. He’ll forget about Rachel in no time!”

“Riight.” Replied the Red Magiblot, not completely agreeing with her. “Speaking of which, I noticed you really seem to hate this ‘Rachel’ person. What does she got against you?”

“The answer is obvious Red: what does any adult have against us?” The Magiblots were confused by her question. Dimentia sighed. “Never mind. The sooner we get the Star Pieces, the sooner we can be rid of all our troubles. In the meantime, I want you three to check on the you-know-what. We’ll never be able to do this thing without THAT now, will we?”

The Magiblots saluted and warped off, leaving Dimentia in her throne room. She shut off the lights and was about to leave, but not before she said to herself, _“Soon, no one will have to worry about love any longer, and they’ll never have to share my fate. I’m going to rid the universe of this disease if it kills me.”_

 

**And there we go. The song Dimentia sings comes from the _Beauty and the Beast_ Christmas special, though I did change it up a bit. I thought the song was fitting for Dimentia, and wanted to put it in. Also, her alarm clock makes the same sound as the new fire alarm from _Family Guy_. Either this chapter, or next, we’ll be heading for the next planet. L-ater.**


	10. The Irken Battleblitz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel, Ava, and Dib are forced to compete in an Irken Arena.

**Wow. Did I seriously get 5 reviews last night? That gives me more than enough motivation to actually do this! Alright, let’s do this!**

**_Chapter 10: The Irken Battleblitz_ **

It was yet another restless night for Numbuh 1, as he was having yet another nightmare.

_In his nightmare, he was sitting in Rachel’s office, wearing her Supreme Leader helmet, and filling out paperwork. He kept signing papers until two snakes slithered up behind him, a purple one on his right and an orange one on his left._

_“Ah, look at our good Supreme Leader, filling out those nasty papers.” Said the purple snake, her voice sounding like Dimentia’s. “Why don’t you lie down for a little nap?”_

_“NO!” exclaimed the orange snake, her voice sounding like Rachel’s. “Don’t listen to the purple snake, Supreme Leader Numbuh 1! She’s evil and deceitful.”_

_“I’m not tired. Really.” Replied Nigel._

_“Oh, come now.” Replied the purple snake. “Listen to your old friend, won’t you? Have I ever steered you wrong? Led you astray? No. Now, why don’t you go get some rest?”_

_“Don’t do it, Nigel!” exclaimed the orange snake._

_Nigel grabbed his aching head. “I don’t know who to believe, anymore!” The entire area began turning pitch-black and he was completely surrounded by darkness. He saw the purple snake coming up to him out of the darkness._

_“Sleep. Just like SHE DID!” and the purple snake gnashed her fangs at him._

Nigel finally woke up in his room, screaming. He soon stopped and started breathing heavily.

_HAANH! HAANH! HAANH!_

Nigel turned to see his new alarm clock going off. He wished Dimentia got him one with a less annoying sound. Once he shut it off, he got dressed and headed off to lunch.

**The _Massive_**

The Almighty Tallest were sitting in their control room back on the _Massive_ , once again, enjoying their snacks. One of the soldiers soon spoke up. “Sirs: Orbot and Cubot have arrived with the Star Wolf Team.”

“Great! Send them in.” replied Red. The doors opened and in came Orbot and Cubot, along with the Star Wolf Team.

New Star Wolf member, Rattlesnake Jake, quickly shot into the room up to the Tallest and snatched a Hershey bar out of Purple’s hand and swallowed it. “It’sss no wonder why sso many kidss like this sstuff.” He said before slithering back down to his team. Without his armor, Jake was a big, long snake with a black back part and a reddish-pink under part. He had several bullet packs along his body and what looked like a machinegun tail. Purple groaned in dismay at the loss of his candy bar.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here, Star Wolf.” Said Red. “We need your help in taking out a certain GKND operative.”

“Typical.” Replied Wolf. “You big bad adults can’t handle a few snot-nosed kids, so you have to send us to do it. Alright, who is it?”

“His name is Nigel Uno, Number 1. He’s been working for them for 3 months and he’s already found two Stars. We have a feeling he might head for the one on Planet Glacia next, so we need you to intercept him and his friends there and take them out.”

“And get us that Star while you’re there, too. Those things aren’t easy to come by, you know.” Replied Purple.

“No problem. Rattlesnake Jake here can wrap himself around a ship and crush it with ease. We’ll take him out easy. That is, if you’re willing to pay.”

At this, Red pushed a button in his chair and a giant chest came falling down next to Star Wolf with tons of treasure. Their eyes widened at the sight of the treasure. Red then pushed another button and the chest shut and shot back up to the ceiling. “You’ll get all THAT as soon as Nigel Uno is history.”

“No problem. I doubt this kid’s anything like the Star Fox Team, so it’ll be a snap.”

“Although, I hope they prove to be more of a challenge than Falco.” Replied Leon.

“And I’m hoping to see that beautiful Glomourian again. Growl.” Panther growled.

“You and your manly charm, Panther. Let’s go, you three.” With that, the Star Wolf Team walked off and the doors closed on them.

“By the way, you two,” Red said to Orbot and Cubot, “did you remember to put Zim on the most wanted list?”

“Oh, yes,” replied Orbot, “but may I just ask, are you quite sure it’s a good idea to put him on the list? What if he finds out? He may be tempted to betray us and join the GKND.”

“YARR! That swabbie’d join ‘em and haul tail after us as much as he would a nerdy news lady, ARR!” exclaimed Cubot.

“Relax.” Red replied. “He’s not gonna find out. Zim’s an idiot. He’ll just think we did it by mistake or something.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. But what do you propose we do about the other Stars?”

“We have forces all over the universe searching for those Stars. It’s amazing how many adults want to be rid of annoying brats. We even gave some super nerd his own fortress on Planet Kateenia in return for catching a few rare Shrink Wisps for us. We’ll have all those Stars in no time! And once we do, we’ll be able to make a brand new utopia, where all children are delightful and obedient, and adults will rule all!” And with that, the Tallest and the robots all laughed evilly.

**Gallagher Playground**

Back on Planet Earth, the students of Gallagher were released for recess and everyone was doing their own activity. Nigel’s ex-girlfriend, Lizzie Devine, was sitting on the swingset, looking depressed. Herbie and Ace walked by and noticed her on the swing. “Man. Poor Lizzie.” Herbie said.

“Is she upset over that Nigel Uno kid?” Ace replied, while sucking on a lollipop.

“It looks like it.”

“But didn’t they break up or something?”

“Yeah, they did. But after a short time, they decided to stay good friends. And now that he’s gone, she really misses him.”

“What happened to that kid, anyway? Did he die or something?”

“Uh, no. He just up and left suddenly.”

Ace rose an eyebrow. “How do you know he’s not dead? You don’t know where he is, do you?”

The thing is, Herbie did know where he was, as did every other scientist. But he was forbidden from telling anyone. “Er… I don’t know. Just a thought.” He looked over Lizzie again. “I think I’m gonna go comfort her.”

“You do that. I’m gonna go make a certain Australian angry!” he said before he walked in the direction of Kuki.

Herbie then walked to Lizzie and asked, “You okay?”

“Huh? Oh, hey Herbie. I’m fine.”

“Still thinking about him?”

Lizzie sighed. “Yeah. I know I was mad at him for choosing the Kids Next Door over me, but if I knew he was just going to disappear without a trace, I would’ve been a little nicer to him.”

 _Well, where have I heard that one before?_ Herbie thought to himself. “I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually, wherever he is.”

“He’s probably off on some sooper ultra extended important mission or something, that involves leaving all his friends and family behind missing him!” she said angrily.

Herbie chuckled nervously. “Well, even if he is, I’m sure he misses everyone a lot. Including you.” Herbie noticed her sad expression again and put a hand on her shoulder. “Well, look on the bright side, Lizzie: you still have me. I’m here for you.”

Lizzie looked at him and smiled. “Thanks, Herbie. At least I know you wouldn’t ditch me for _KND duties_!”

Herbie chuckled. “Yeah.”

The shadow being that was hiding behind a nearby tree then took for the sky, unnoticed. Once he was up in space, he drew out his sword and spoke to it. “Exor: have I gone soft having pity on these mortals? Or is my heart telling me something?” He was silent for a moment. “But that’s unlikely. How could me, of all monsters, have pity on others? How could I have a heart?” _Yes. How._

The sword replied, “If you doubt yourself this much, go write poetry for a living. You seem to be good at that.”

“Can’t you take pity on my sorrows for once??” the shadow yelled. “I’m opening my heart out to you!”

“No one asked you to. Just because you carry me around in your… er, wherever you keep me, doesn’t mean I wanna hear you nag.”

“Uuugh…” the shadow being groaned.

**Star Haven**

In the Star Sanctuary, Jirachi was sitting upon his pedestal, listening to children’s wishes throughout the universe. Dimentia was in there as well, soaking in the fountain and looking at her mirror. After a few seconds passed, Jirachi groaned in pain and fell into the fountain.

Dimentia looked to see what was wrong with him. “What’s wrong, Jirachi?”

Jirachi rose out of the fountain holding his head. “It’s Numbuh 1’s friends. They’re all wishing for him to come back again. What should we do, Dimentia? I can’t just keep ignoring them.”

“You have to, Jirachi! You can’t send Number 1 back! Otherwise, he might fall in love with Rachel and want to stay on Earth. That means he won’t be able to help us retrieve the Star Pieces!”

“But if I keep ignoring them, I’ll get sick. I’m already getting this terrible headache.”

Dimentia then took Jirachi in her arms and hugged him close. “Oh, my poor sweet Jirachi. Don’t worry. As soon as we get those Star Pieces, you’ll be all better. But for right now, be thankful you’re taking part in ridding us of this disease.”

Jirachi chuckled. “Well, I should be thanking you, Dimentia. If you hadn’t saved me from those Star Spirits, I would’ve still been trapped in that rock. And to think I actually thought they loved me.”

“Well, that’s the thing about adults: they say they want to help you out of love, but really, they’re all just a bunch of liars. That’s why both, love and adults, are a bad thing to have in the universe, and as long as we have you, we don’t have to trouble ourselves with them.”

“’Cause I’m the cure for it all!” he replied happily.

“That’s right. Now, I have to get to my base now.” She said, releasing him. “You just stay here and keep that fountain flowing!”

“Will do!” With that, Dimentia teleported away, and Jirachi sat back on the pedestal.

**GKND H.Q.**

It was once again lunchtime in the cafeteria. Operatives were chowing down on the different foods from various planets. The mariachi band was standing around Dimentia’s statue, playing their music for the whole mess hall to hear. Nigel went up to the cafeteria line and got himself a meatball sandwich. Once he had it, he noticed Ava and Dib sitting at a table and went over to sit by them.

“Hey, Nigel.” Greeted Ava. “How was your talk with the space clown last night?”

Nigel chuckled. He never thought of using that nickname before. “Well, all I can say is that girl seriously has some issues. But she does make a pretty good singer. So, Dib, how was your tour of the base?”

“Terrific! This place has everything! It’s a paradise for paranormal investigators everywhere! I don’t think I ever wanna leave!”

Well, that’s ironic.” Nigel chuckled.

“Oh, and Nigel, I fixed your S.H.O.O.T.E.R. after Zim smashed it. And look at this!” Dib pulled out the 20x40 device and presented it to Nigel. The bald operative noticed it looked different, with three tiny rods sticking out of the center rod. “I’ve been working with the galactic scientists, and we modified your weapon to shoot three separate beams. They said they’ll help me upgrade your other weapons, too… for a price.”

Nigel smiled in interest at the upgraded device before putting it away. “Hey, where is Dimentia, anyway?”

“I think she went to the fountain to get her daily drink." Ava replied. "Being around a million years old takes its tolls.”

Nigel nearly choked. “She’s THAT old?!”

“I know! Pretty weird, huh?” Ava looked behind Nigel to see Dimentia approaching. “Ah, speak of the space devil.”

“Ah, just the group I wanted to see!” exclaimed Dimentia. “I have another mission for you three: it seems we’ve determined the location of another Star on Planet Glacia!”

The trio smiled greatly at this. “That’s great!” exclaimed Ava. “How’d you find it?”

“The star was located yesterday by Number Heaven Eleven. You remember her, don’t you?”

“You mean Luvbi? Oh, I remember her.” Nigel replied half sarcastically, remembering his mission with Luvbi to Planet Sauria.

“Well, anyway, she led a group of Wisps on an exploration of Planet Glacia the other day, and while there, they found a Star Piece that was quickly taken from their grasp. The three of you will be going with Luvbi to Planet Glacia to retrieve the Star Piece, since she is the only one who has any idea where it is. I already explained the details to Luvbi and your ships are all ready to go. You can head out as soon your lunches are finished. Ciao!” Once she was finished, Dimentia teleported away.

“Great.” Nigel sighed sarcastically. “We just had to be paired with the spoiled angel. Well, I guess I better go find her.”

“You go do that. I have to go do something else first.” Ava said before she and Nigel went off to different directions, leaving Dib at the table alone.

“Just like old times…” He said to himself, depressedly.

Nigel scanned the mess hall looking for Luvbi and finally noticed her floating at the balcony window, her eyes closed as she was praying. He approached the young angel girl as she spoke. “Doo-bi-doo-bi-doo! Ah, I am ever so excited to meet mine special someone on this mission! Surely, I am being paired with one whom is destined to be my true love. Hurry and come to me my prince!” She then turned and opened her eyes to see Nigel. “Pray, what reason hast thou to approacheth me yet again?!”

“Hate to break this to you Luvbi, but you’re being paired with us on the mission.”

“And whom might I ask is this ‘us’?”

“Me, Ava, and Dib.”

“Supreme Leader, Numbuh 256 expects me to labor with yonder misshapen head humans and big-earred alien of kissy faces?! She hath gone madder than normal!”

“Hey, I’m not too excited about this either, Luvbi. But the sooner we can get that Star, the sooner we don’t have to hang with each other.”

“Yea, mayhap you’re right. But hasten thine chubby legs and tell thine friends to hasten thines! If not, the sun will set on Glacia and the freezing winds shall freezeth thou stiff. Now, get to moving…eth!” With that, she flew away.

As Nigel was heading back to the table where Dib sat, he thought to himself, _It’s official: Numbuh 363’s match made in heaven._

**Hangar**

The trio, along with Luvbi, were walking down to the hangar after finishing their lunches. “Ay, me. Not only must I be paired with yonder strange-headed humans, I am to be with big-eared kissalot!” said Luvbi, not happy with her partners.

“I take it you two don’t get along well?” asked Nigel to Ava.

“Not really. She must still be mad that I randomly kissed her. What I really hate about this whole thing is if there’s a girl I can’t understand here, sometimes I have no choice.”

“Pace thine chubby legs! Time waits not for those who slack!” ordered Luvbi.

“So, Luvbi,” Nigel began, annoyed, “you mind telling us how you came to find this Star?”

“Well, it happened the yester ago, when yonder Wisps and I went a small scouting mission to planet of glaciers. ‘Twas there that we found the Star, frozen in a block of ice. The Wisp that burns was able to unfreeze it easily, but we soon found ourselves to be attacked by beasts of ice, led by man of frozen skin. The Star was taken from our grasp, and the Wisps captured and frozen, but I was able to flee from freezing fury and return here. The man, whom had attacked us, was no one other than the King of Ice, who resides in yonder Ice Palace.”

“And you didn’t try to help the Wisps?” asked Nigel.

“Art thou crazy?! Had I stayed, I would’ve been frozen to a skysicle! Yon Wisps can help to themselves! I was not going to risk it!” Pretty soon, the gang had made it to yonder hangar. (Aw, crap, now I’m doing it!) Luvbi drifted over to a small, white ship with a shade of yellow (just like her), a pointed front, and long wings that were designed like an angel’s. “And voila! Feast thine eyes upon this: yonder Angel Star!” Luvbi exclaimed with pride. But the gang didn’t look to amazed as Luvbi had hoped.

“What does it do?” Dib asked.

“Thou may make this to be unimpressive, but this dost move fast through the stars as a barracuda moves through water.”

“How interesting.” Ava said sarcastically. “Anyway, so all we have to do is break into this Ice Palace, kick some butt, and find this Star?”

“Um, yea, one would think that to be obvious.” She replied, turning to Ava. “But a question strikes: Ava, doth thou pine for yonder humans? If so, which doth thou pine for the most: the big-headed one? Or perhaps the bald?”

This question gave the three a look of extreme shock. “UUGGHH!!” they exclaimed.

“No way!” exclaimed Ava.

“That’s just gross! No offense.” Said Dib.

“Ask me to make out with my cousin while you’re at it!” exclaimed Nigel, sarcastically.

“Ha HA! Oh, how simple it is to tweak thine chins! Now, let us be off!” said Luvbi, getting into her ship.

“I’m taking my Heart Star.” Stated Ava, hopping into her heart-shaped ship. Dib hopped into his own ship, of course.

Nigel was about to hop into his Arwing when…

“HOOOOLD UP!” Nigel looked over when a mechanical stand suddenly flew into the hangar, and a buff alien kid wearing sunglasses stuck out from it. “You kids headin’ out to Planet Glacia? Well, someone’s gonna need a better suit than that!” he said, looking at Nigel’s space suit. “Thankfully, Numbuh 500% has just what ya need! A nifty new suit of armor, for ya, for a… price.”

“Hmm…” Nigel thought for a minute. “Well, this suit is lacking the proper defense. How much?”

“A Combat Suit Level 1, for just 5,000 Bolts!”

“Well, not too expensive. It’s a trade.” With that, Nigel held his Infi-Cube below Numbuh 500%’s, and 5,000 of Nigel’s Bolts were sucked into the other cube. The alien then grabbed a pad and tossed it on the ground beside him.

“Just step inta this and trade in your old space suit for a bit of awesome!” Nigel did as directed and stood on the pad. A cylindrical pod raised up and closed him in, and when it opened, Nigel saw that he was in a new set of armor, much skinnier and lighter than his space suit, which was a blackish brown with a green chest, green kneecaps, and green palms.

“Cool!” Ava said, impressed.

“Peh. I scoff at thine armor.” Luvbi scoffed.

“Congratulations, you’re the first one to try the Version Green!” Numbuh 500% exclaimed. “Come back later when we have more armor for ya!”

“Hm… thanks!” Nigel smiled at his new armor before hurrying to jump into his Arwing. “Okay. We ready to go?”

“Prithee, we hath BEEN ready.”

“You talk too much, Luvbi.” said Nigel, starting up his ship.

“Whatevereth. Now, let us be off, or the sun will set and-“

“WE GET IT, ALREADY!” they all shouted. With that, the ships lifted off the ground and took off.

**Somewhere in space**

Somewhere out in space, the Star Wolf Team was drifting around, wondering what to do next until Wolf received a call.

_“Team Star Wolf, this is Tallest Red. We just got a call from our spy. They are definitely headed for Glacia.”_

“Excellent! Let’s go, you three!”

 _“Wait one second!”_ Red stopped them. _“Before you go, we actually have another plan we wanted to try out. We’ll send soldiers out first. If this plan fails, that’ll be your chance to move in.”_

“Meeeh. Understood.” Wolf sighed and hung up.

“Mussst we wait? I’ve been looking for ssome new prey! Ever ssince that lizard outssmarted me long ago!” said Jake.

“Still upset over my cousin beating you, I see.” Replied Leon.

“Let us hope the Tallest finish soon, so I can get my dinner. Growl.” Panther growled. The team then took off.

**Outside Glacia’s atmosphere**

Back with the main group, they were closing in on Planet Glacia’s atmosphere, with Luvbi flying her ship in circles around the others’. “WHEEE! Space is ever so exciting, is it not?!”

“She sure has a lot of energy, doesn’t she?” said Nigel to Ava.

“Well, Luvbi is an airbender. Airbenders are normally free-spirited like that.”

“Ah, yea, verily, but alas, in space, I am a helpless fish out of water. ‘Tis why I got this ship.” Luvbi said, with her ship shaking at every syllable. “Now, enough slacking! Planet Glacia awaits.”

“Whatever you say, O nagging one.” Replied Nigel. “But that reminds me: Ava, I noticed lately that you always have to run off and ‘do something’. Where do you go?”

Ava was hesitant to answer. “Uh, well, I…”

“Mayhap she is seeing someone behind thine back! Art thou jealous, Nigel?”

“Now, hang on second! I like Ava, but not in that way!”

“He’s got that right.” Replied Ava. “Besides, the only girl he ever talks about is his old leader, Rachel.”

“Exactly… HEY!”

“Oh, pray tell: is yon Rachel the girlfriend of Nigel?”

“N-NO! She’s just a really good friend, that’s all!”

“Thy cheek grows red and thy manner flustered. Oh, you poor denying fool.”

“Ugh! Can we stop talking about my love interests and get to Glacia? !”

“Thou admitest. She is large in your regard.”

Nigel was seriously blushing now. “T-That’s not what I meant! What I meant was-“

“LOOK OUT!” Dib shouted as a small fleet of Irkens troops started attacking them.

“Ha HAAA! Yonder fools surely jest! Catchest me if thou canst!” Luvbi excitedly exclaimed, her ship zipping by the enemies at high speed as they tried to chase her.

“Luvbi, hold on!” Nigel yelled as Irken ships approached them rapidly, bombarding them with lasers. The three operatives did their best to shoot back, but the Irkens came too quickly and dealt much damage to them.

“Grr! I think we’re going down, you guys.” Ava said with worry.

“Their shields are low, grab ‘em!” An Irken soldier exclaimed. The ships launched electrical nets at the operatives’ vehicles and successfully captured them. The operatives took painful electrical zaps inside their ships as a result, falling unconscious as the Irkens carried them away.

**Irken Arena**

The trio of operatives (counting Dib) was carried to a massive arena, designed with Irken metals and machinery, and dropped onto the center. They looked around the audience stands as various Irkens, Florans, and other adult aliens gave roaring cheers. They focused on the stage that was in the center of the audience as smoke emerged from below the stage. Before their eyes, Tallests Red and Purple rose up from below, the red Tallest waving happily while Purple blew kisses.

"EEEEeeeeveryBODY, welcome to the 152nd Annual Irken Battleblitz TOURNAMENT!" Red announced through a microphone, and the audience cheered away.

"Are you ready to see a bunch of snot-nosed kids get wasted?!" Purple announced.

"YEEEAAAH!"

"What is this about, anyway? !" Nigel exclaimed.

"ConGRATULATIONS, you kids have been selected to participate in this year's Irken Battleblitz Tournament!" Red exclaimed. "You'll be going up against the fiercest galactic gladiators known to man! IF you win... we got you a brand new set of M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S.!" He held up a pair of boots that had magnets on the soles.

"HEY! That's Galactic Kids Next Door property only!" Nigel exclaimed.

"Little kids aren't allowed to HAVE property." Purple whined. "Anyhoo... for simply trying, we have a consolation prize." The four TVs above the ceiling showed pictures of a gravestone, and the surrounding stereos made the graveyard bell sound.

"Ooh, a gravestone! I bet Gaz would love one of those!" Dib exclaimed, while Nigel and Ava held looks of worry.

“Nah, nah, I’m sure you three will do great!...LYING DEAD in our trophy case!” Red exclaimed.

“Ew.” Ava said.

“LET THE BATTLEBLITZ-“ Purple stopped himself, beginning to cough and hack.

“Uhh…” Red took the microphone and said, “Let the Battleblitz begin.” (Play the “Arena Boss” Theme from _Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando_.)

_Sub-game: Arena Battleblitz_

_Mission: Fight the gladiators and win the tournament._

“AND the first wave is ready to go!” Red announced as gates around the arena opened, letting in several Irken warriors. The soldiers wielded electric whips as they came to lash at the operatives, who dodged out of the way as Dib ran forward to beat them with his mech arms, and Ava ran to swing her swords. Nigel started off by tossing his N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s and wiping out a few soldiers as the shurikens flew around. “Down she goes and away they go!” Red announced as the next round of enemies piled in. This time, they were Irkens wielding goo guns. Ava dodged their fire as she charged over to attack them, but as she leapt to strike one, the Irken successfully shot her and stuck her to the ground. “Looks like this Glomourian’s in a sticky situation!”

Dib ran over to try and pull Ava free, but ended up caught in the Irkens’ goo as well. Nigel ran for the Irkens and tossed grenades from his B.O.O.M.E.R. to blow them around. The Irkens recovered and kept trying to shoot him, but Nigel back-flipped and kept a good distance as he shot away with his S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. “My money’s off to the Earthling with spunk!” Purple announced.

“Let’s hope that that doesn’t happen!” Red announced as the next round began. A series of small, spherical mines flew in through the gates and surrounded the operatives, extracting spiraling blades as they closed in. Dib and Ava easily punched and sliced away the weak mines while Nigel tossed more shurikens around. Those mines were accompanied by some sand people, who charged forward wielding spiked clubs. Ava ran forward and clashed her blades with the Dryans’ clubs, flipping over a few of them and striking them in the back. From a distance, Nigel kept the desert people back with more shurikens, knocking a few of them out, but was unprepared when another Px6 Blade Ball flew up from behind and sliced him.

“OOOH! He’s gonna be feeling THAT in the morning!” Red announced.

Nigel angrily turned and punched the Blade Ball away, then tossed two more shurikens to defeat the remaining sand people. For their next round, a bunch of Florans and ice skeleton warriors, called Chilfos, marched out. A Floran caught Ava with its whip and attempted to chuck her into the lava that surrounded the arena. The Tallest held worried and anxious looks, but Ava pierced her swords in the wall and was able to kick off and back to the field. She then sliced the Floran’s whip as it came back, then took the Sapien out. The Chilfos hurled their ice spears at Dib, but he swiftly dodged and ran to pound at the ice soldiers, easily smashing their fragile forms.

“You’d think a boy with that big a head wouldn’t be so hard to hit.” Purple said. Some Floro Sapiens hurled their heads at Nigel, but he leapt forward and attacked the plant bodies before their heads returned. Soon, they had the rest of the soldiers beaten.

“Oookay!” Red announced. “Time to make things a bit more interesting.”

“For these next few rounds, we’ve decided to set up a few limitations! Huhu!” Purple laughed.

“To start off,” Red began as Nigel and Ava were suddenly pulled away from the arena, Dib turning to look at them, “the bigheaded human will be fighting alone first.”

“And he must fight these enemies from a distance!” Purple spoke as the rest of the arena sank below lava. Dib’s platform moved to one side while Chilfos appeared on the other side.

As the icy enemies tried to hurl ice spears at him, Dib avoided and began to set up his Golf Bomb. He held the club tight and took careful aim at the Chilfos as they moved around side-to-side. When he saw that both Chilfos were about to step in the center, he quickly swung his golf club and sent the bomb flying. It hit the two soldiers directly, blowing them up. “Eeee-yes!” Dib cheered, jumping around in excitement.

“Great! Now let’s see how the Glomourian does!” Red announced as Dib was pulled away, and Ava was placed back in the arena. More platforms appeared around the arena that required Ava to jump. Floro Sapiens appeared around the arena, trying to whip Ava from a distance. When she tried to jump to them, they made high leaps to other platforms and safely avoided her. However, as their whips lashed, she was able to grab them and pull the Florans over, then kicked them into the lava.

“This Glomourian’s still got a few tricks up her sleeves!” Red announced.

“Um, she doesn’t have any sleeves, Red.” Purple corrected.

“Whatever.”

For this next round, Irken soldiers came out, flying with helipacks. The Irkens shot at her, but Ava dodged and tried to jump to strike them, but the Irkens hovered up and avoided her. The Glomourian child then decided to toss her swords at their packs, easily slicing their propellers and causing them to fall, while the swords came back like boomerangs. Once they were grounded, Ava was able to beat away at them with no trouble. Once they were down, the big-eared alien was pulled out of the arena, with Nigel coming back in.

“Let’s see how well Nigel handles a band of Florans,” Red began.

“-with a swarm of Tetramites on his tail! Huhu!” Purple finished. When the arena put itself back together, a Tetramite hive rose from the center. Florans charged out of the gates, as did the swarm of Tetramite. Nigel hurried away from the tiny bugs, looking around the arena for something that might help. He saw a glob of Breegus Nectar seeping through the floor and used his A.B.S.O.R.B.O. to suck it in. He hurried over to the Florans and stuck nectar on each of them, so when the Tetramites crawled over, they latched and nibbled away at the plant aliens. The Florans were then accompanied by Irkens with nectar guns, who immediately shot and covered Nigel with the substance.

Nigel desperately tried to break away as the Tetramites crawled for him. He was able to get his A.B.S.O.R.B.O. arm free and shoot at the Irkens. Strangely, the Tetramites ignored him and proceeded to nibble away at the aliens, defeating them.

“REMOVE the Tetramites.” Red called as the Tetramite hive sunk below the floor. “And rob him of his weapons.” Immediately, a giant magnet came down and pulled Nigel’s weapons away from him. “For this next round, you are to use only the Wisps given to you.” Parts of the arena flipped over to reveal patches of dirt, with the center one having a Yellow Wisp capsule.

“Defeat the enemies underground to proceed.” Purple explained.

Nigel broke the Wisp free as it flew into his form. “DRILL!” The operative became a yellow drill and burrowed beneath the ground. He zoomed around the underground as Irken soldiers did the same in drilling machines. The aliens tried to attack the operative, but he narrowly avoided them and made careful turns until he was able to find them and pierce their machines. Three Irkens were coming at him from behind, but they ended up ramming each other and blowing up.

“This tournament is brought to you by the Irken Empire’s Power Wisp Soda.” Red announced as Nigel came back above ground, and the Drill Wisp left his form. “Try our colorful, energy inducing soda today!” Much of the arena sank below lava while some parts floated upward, leaving Nigel in the center spot as a Cyan Wisp appeared. Several Dryans appeared on the platforms above, each one by a cyan diamond. Nigel absorbed the Laser Wisp and yelled, “LASER!”, as he took aim at the first floating diamond. His body became energy as he zapped forward and ricocheted off all of the other diamonds, wiping out the enemies in the process.

He came back on the center platform as the arena put itself back together. An Orange Wisp capsule appeared as Nigel looked up, finding several Helipack Irkens above him. They flew side-to-side, lining up perfectly at some points. Nigel knew what to do and absorbed the Rocket Wisp. His shoes turned into rockets, and let the Irkens line up before firing himself dead center through all of them.

After landing back on his feet, Ava and Dib ran back on the arena, getting by his side as they danced in victory. “And HERE we begin our title match!” At Red’s words, the three focused on the center gate below the Tallests’ stage. “He crushes and he mashes and he’s hungry for more!” Smoke emerged from the gate as it slowly opened. The team held worried looks as they heard quaking stomps on the other end. “Put your puny hands/whatever you aliens use together FOOOOR…”

When the gate opened all the way, instead, the massive opponent smashed through the wall beside the gate. He was a massive robot, 10 times the operatives’ height, that was brown-colored, several spikes lined up along his head, shoulders, and other parts of his body, a black bar with a red scanning line where his eyes would be, and greenish-yellow square-shaped teeth, which flashed dimly as he spoke. “I… am… DESTRUCTOOOOR-”

_REEEEEEEEE_

The microphone emitted a high-pitch noise. “Um, could you repeat that?” Purple asked, fiddling with the mike. “Our microphone messed up.”

The robot faced the Tallest, his head as high as where they stood in the audience. “I… AM… _DESTRUCTOOOR_!”

“Thaaat’s better.” Purple smiled.

_Boss fight: Destructor_

The robot stomped forward and punched the ground before the operatives, creating a shockwave that blew them back. Ava ran over and attempted to slice at the robot’s feet, but did very little damage as Destructor smacked her away. He saw Dib readying his Golf Bomb and proceeded to stomp over. The bigheaded human took aim and flung the Golf Bomb, exploding it on the robot’s head. It stopped the robot for a brief moment, but he stomped forward nonetheless and grabbed Dib, chucking the human to the other side of the arena. He felt a bunch of shurikens slicing by his head just then and turned to see Nigel throwing them. Nigel ran when the robot started chasing him, but still tried to toss shurikens. Destructor leapt overhead and crashed on the ground in front of Nigel, kicking the bald Brit away.

His two friends ran beside him as he stood up. “How do we know our attacks are doing anything?” Ava asked.

“Oh, we’re doing damage.” Dib said, looking at a scanner. “We just have to hit him harder.”

“Then let’s give him everything we’ve got.” Nigel said. “Ava, try and distract him.”

“On it.” Ava ran for the giant robot, who immediately tried to crush her with his fist. She dodged and rolled to his left foot, throwing some punches and kicks at it, but her attacks did nothing as he tried to stomp her, but she ran away again. Nigel and Dib ran up from behind as Nigel tossed grenades, while Dib was able to fling more Golf Bombs. 

“WHOA! Destructor’s taking a beating!” Red yelled. The robot turned around to stomp them, but they flipped back as Dib pulled out and tossed his Groove-O-Matic. “Heeey! I call that cheating!” Red yelled as Destructor started dancing to the disco music.

“Haha! It’s fun, though!” Purple exclaimed, dancing as well.

As Destructor “did the robot”, the three operatives began attacking at his feet, doing a little more damage. Eventually, the disco ball exploded by Destructor’s head. The smoke cleared away too late as another Golf Bomb flew up and hit Destructor’s face. Ava hopped off of Nigel’s hands and onto Destructor’s head, trying to cut away at his face. The giant robot wobbled around, trying to shake her off, but as he did, Dib ran up and punched his foot with his mech arms, causing the robot to topple over. Nigel looked to the Tallests’ stand and saw there was a button by them on the wall. He aimed his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and fired at the button. The giant magnet activated and sucked Destructor onto it. Red and Purple put on worried looks as Purple ran to press the switch off. However, Destructor dropped from the magnet to the floor with a thud, doing massive damage.

The Tallest looked worriedly as the giant robot stood up and started wobbling uncontrollably. He kept wobbling towards them, flailing his arms around as he tripped and came up faster. “AAAAHHH!” The robot crashed and crumbled their stage. The pair of boots were flung into the air, landing perfectly in Nigel’s hands as the operatives danced.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S.  
Magnetically Armored Gear Niftily Enables Bearer Over Opposable Titanium Surfaces**

“Great!” Nigel cheered. “Let’s get to our ships and get out of here!” The operatives hurried away from the arena, leaving the Tallest crushed under the robot’s body.

As they groaned on top of the rubble under Destructor’s defeated form, Red was able to reach for his communicator. “This is Red to Star Wolf. You may begin now. Ohhhh…” He fainted. (End song.)

**Planet Glacia**

In a dark, icy chamber, a short, bearded man sat in his cold thrown, watching the GKND come into Glacia’s atmosphere. _“So, the GKND dare to enter my frosty domain. They think they can come and steal my Star, but I won’t let them! I’ll turn them into beautiful ice sculptures, and then I’ll make that Luvbi girl my princess! But first, I have to go potty in the bathroom...”_

 

**The arena thing comes from _Ratchet & Clank_, and Destructor is from _Futurama_. Luvbi comes from _Super Paper Mario_ as well. I was going to make her Numbuh Heaven Seven, but a different author already has that. Also, please take note that while I may not like 1/Lizzie as a couple, I do like them as friends. Nigel’s nightmare is similar to Zuko’s nightmare on _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. On another note, has anyone noticed Ava always has to ‘go do something’? What do you think is up with that? Oh well, probably nothing. Later.**


	11. Luvbi's Negligence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crossing Glacia's snowfield becomes a pain when Luvbi constantly leaves her team behind.

**Hey, guys, I have a 4 day weekend, so that’s plenty of time to work on this. Anyway, I’m not entirely sure the last chapter was all impressive and I’m not sure this one will be either. Oh, well, here we go, I guess.**

**_Chapter 11: Luvbi’s Negligence_ **

**Planet Glacia**

After their little space battle, the gang had finally arrived on Planet Glacia, where they saw Luvbi’s ship parked on the ground, with the mariachi band standing on its wings, playing their music. “W-Welcome to P-Planet Glacia.” The band leader stuttered from the cold. “Here on this g-godforsaken planet, m-many outsiders s-struggle to survive the h-harsh environment. It is so d-dark and… cold and… lonely and… we wanna go home.”

“W-When is h-he going to die?”

“H-Hopefully s-soon.”

Soon, the ships landed and the trio stepped out, only to be rudely greeted by Luvbi. “’Tis about time thou hast arrived here! Doth thou know long I hath been waiting?! HARK! The moon shineth bright in the sky thanks to thy lingering!”

“You left us behind to get captured and dragged into an arena! If you stayed behind to help, we would’ve been here earlier!” replied Nigel.

“I could hath fought off those ships on my own AND destroyed all in yon arena! ‘Tis not my fault thou art slow! Anyhoo, since I am the only who hath any idea of where this Star lies, I declare myself leader.”

“What kind of leader leaves her own team behind to nearly be squished by a giant robot gladiator?! If anything, I should be leader!”

“Oh, I beggeth thy pardon. And just where dost thou think we should be headed?” Nigel was silent as he didn’t really have any idea where to go. “’Tis what I thought. Now, wasteth no more time! Yonder Ice Palace awaits. Let us go! But avert thine eyes, lest thou succumbeth to my cuteness!” With that, she flew off.

“Well, aside from having to work with Princess Nagules,” Nigel thought aloud, “this place isn’t so bad. I’m actually quite fond of cold places.”

“H-How nice for you.” Nigel looked over to see Ava shivering from the cold, for she was wearing a sleeveless shirt, short skirt, and sandals, which is not really fitting for cold weather.

“Now, where have I seen this before?” Nigel smirked.

“H-Hey! If you can survive the desert, I-I can survive this!”

“Wherefore art thou waiting?! Hasten thine legs and let us go!” Luvbi called from a distance. With that, the three followed after her with annoyed expressions. (Play the “White Acropolis Snowy Peak” Theme from _Sonic 2006_.)

_Stage 6: Glacian Snowfield_

_Mission: Follow Luvbi across the snows._

The team of four began their venture across the frosty fields. The snow was coming down hard, and the team had difficulty seeing through the darkness of night. They saw glowing light-blue figures in the pitch-black, and when they came close, they were revealed to be the ice-skeleton warriors, known as the Chilfos. Luvbi glided past the monsters as they pulled out ice spears and chucked them at the operatives. Nigel tried to hit them with his Z.A.P.P., but the electrical weapon had no effect, and Ava pulled Nigel out of the way before a spear pierced him. Ava ran and swung her blades against a Chilfos' spear, eventually breaking the spear, then slicing the soldier into shards. Two more soldiers marched to Nigel with spears raised, but the bald Brit tossed a grenade and blew up their spears. Afterwards, Dib knocked both of them down with his mech arms and crushed their heads.

"I waiteth for thine legs to remind thee something!" Luvbi called from the distance. The team rolled their eyes and kept after the Nimbi. As they passed around several icy hills, a pack of white wolves, called White Wolfos, emerged from the snow. Luvbi simply flew ahead again, leaving the others to deal with the wolves. A wolf charged and leapt at Nigel, who dodged to the side and shot the wolf with his triple S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. Two wolves came at Dib, but the bigheaded human grabbed their faces and held them back with the strength of his mech arms before shoving their heads against the ground. The last wolf kept running around Ava and trying to leap at her, but she kept slipping away until, eventually, she sliced against the Wolfos' side.

The three saw Luvbi waiting by a cliffside, but when they hurried over, she yelled excitedly, "Catchest me if thou canst!", and soared over the dark chasm.

The three peeked over the cliff ledge, staring down into the endless darkness. “I don’t suppose any of you two can sprout wings?” Nigel asked.

“Well… I have designed my backpack to become a glider, buuut… this canyon feels a little too small.” Dib replied.

Ava looked to the wall on their left and noticed a metallic pathway leading downward. “Hey, check it out. You can probably reach the other side with those M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S., Nigel.” She pointed out.

“Good as plan as any.” Nigel replied, slipping on his new boots. “I’ll see if I can find a way to get you all across.” The operative stepped onto the metal pathway, and he felt his feet latch tight onto the surface. His boots felt a little more heavy, but he was able to walk down the cliff via the metal pathway. The path went along the underside of the wall, turning Nigel upside-down as he progressed over the chasm. Below the underside, several ice bats, called Ice Keese, were flapping around. Nigel had to shoot them away with his triple S.H.O.O.T.E.R., easily taking out several at a time with the upgrade.

As he continued forward, his right foot accidentally stepped off the pathway, and he nearly fell into the abyss, but he regained his footing and followed the path up the cliff on the other side. He found a long, metal bridge that was tilted upwards, and a lever next to it. He pulled the lever and lowered the bridge for the others to across. “I thought the boots could only go over _titanium_ surfaces?” Dib questioned.

“That was only for the acronym.” Nigel corrected.

As they continued forward, it wasn’t long before they found Luvbi fluttering around the front gates of a large, Irken-designed base. She noticed the trio and smiled cheerfully as she soared over the walls of the base. At that moment, several alarms from inside the base could be heard. “Well-p, she blew her cover.” Nigel stated.

“Now to go about getting in there ourselves.” Ava said.

“There’s one of those shop-thingies over there.” Dib pointed out.

 _“Step right up, step right up!”_ The hologram of Numbuh 20x40 exclaimed. _“Get your equipment hee-yuh, if you’re gonna freeze ta death, it’s best ta go with some decent equipment, so that when archaeologists unfreeze you years later, they won’t think you were ill-prepared because ya didn’t have some good equipment, step right up!”_

Nigel approached the stand as it opened up, revealing a new weapon with a missile. It costed 4,000 Bolts, which Nigel was able to save up plenty of during the arena. He placed his Infi-Cube under the transporter and let the sales-operative take the Bolts. Nigel took his new weapon and let the acronym play.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: V.I.S.S.I.L.E.  
Vision Intelligent Seeker Soars Into Lounging Enemies**

“With that, you can probably take out some of the watchtowers around the base.” Ava figured.

Nigel aimed his new launcher upward and looked through the crosshair, releasing the missile. Through the crosshair, he could see from the view of the missile, and he was able to control its path. The missile soared fast across the air as Nigel directed it downward. His sights locked onto one of the guard towers as he closed in and blew it up. When it was down, Nigel fired another missile, driving it over the walls of the base. He was going to ram into another watchtower when he suddenly took notice of Luvbi flapping cockily over the base. Feeling the temptation, he drove the missile and crashed into the bratty angel.

**_Skill Point acquired! “Yon missileth hurts me so!”_ **

Chuckling to himself, Nigel unleashed a third missile to actually take out a watchtower this time. Afterwards, he released a fourth missile into the skies. He had to make a tight swerve to get into the base, and it only missed the guard tower by a few inches. However, he was close enough to set it off on his own and blow the tower up.

The alarms rang across the base, and the front gates opened, the Irken soldiers readying their guard as the operatives charged in. _"GKND troops have entered the base! GKND troops-"_ His voice was cut off, and a ringing sound was heard. _"Whoop, dropped the thing... ahem, GKND troops have entered the base!”_

Before the Irkens could attack, Dib tossed a Groovitron ball. The disco ball levitated in the air as the troops began dancing to the tune. They were too distracted to defend when Numbuh One tossed a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and sliced a few of the Irkens, while Ava also ran around to strike a few with her swords. The Groovitron exploded afterward and blew away any remaining Irkens. But when the music wore off, some gates opened and allowed entry to Hunter Destroyers. Nigel flipped and dodged to the right as the first one unleashed missiles. He pulled out his V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and launched a missile at the large mech, wiping it out in one hit. He couldn't avoid in time when another Destroyer threw missiles that crashed beside him, blowing him against a wall.

Ava charged toward the Hunter Destroyer, swiftly avoiding the missiles as she leapt onto the head of the robot, then kicked into the cockpit to do away with the Irkens. Dib looked as another Hunter Destroyer came for him, but also looked into the garage where it came from to see some kind of generator. The human simply tossed a Groovitron and distracted the robot with dancing before charging into the chamber, where he dealt a few powerful punches with his mech arms into the generator before it was destroyed.

Nigel recovered from his fall in time to see the electrical wires around the base power down. He also noticed a walkway leading up to the area by the wires. "I bet I can find something useful up there." He said before hurrying to the walkway. He shot his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. to take out some Irkens before running and jumping onto the electrical wires. He was able to grind over the wires, having to jump the connector points on the wall that were still electrified. He was eventually able to grind into a bigger watchtower, where some Irken soldiers geared up in what seemed like Battle Ready Armor.

“Hey, guys. Ever notice this stuff seems like Earthican bras?” one of the Irkens asked as Nigel started to hit them with his Z.A.P.P..

“You mean those girl clothes? Man, that’s ridiculous. These are the latest fashion in Irken armor, second only to these man-skirts. Seeing girls in them would be ridiculous.”

The Irkens hovered around using their armor’s built-in jetpacks, trying to shoot Nigel with lasers. Nigel was able to take out several of them using missiles from his V.I.S.S.I.L.E., and once he was finished, he hurried up a spiraled staircase to a higher floor. A single Irken sat at the command station, holding a microphone as he tried to shoot Nigel with a blaster. “GKND operative has entered my station!” he spoke, his voice heard across the base. “I am shooting him with my blaster, but he appears to be avoiding. He is pulling out some kind of missile launcher, and I believe he is about to shoot me with it. I am really not liking the look of this. Please, may I remind everyone to not steal my CDs after I am-“

From the ground below, everyone could see an explosion erupt from the windows of that tower. The operatives then watched as the back gates of the base opened, revealing Luvbi impatiently waiting on the other side. Nigel jumped out of the watchtower and joined his friends as they left the base and met with the angered angel by the edge of a vast canyon.

“Pray, wherefore dost thou possess the desire to keep me waiting so?!”

“Do I even _need_ to say it?” Nigel retorted.

“Nay. Neverthelesser, it seemeth yonder chasm lie within our wake. Me waiteth for thee to catch up because methinks thou dost not possess the wings to fly.”

“Well… no.” Nigel said. “I don’t suppose you…”

“Unless thou all shrinketh down to reasonable height, doth not expect me to break mine wings carrying thee.”

“Wait! Didn’t Dib say he’s been working on a glider?”

“Oh yeah!” Dib exclaimed as his mech arms instantly transformed into a mechanical glider. “Come on, you two, there’s plenty of room!” Nigel and Ava smiled as they grabbed onto the glider with Dib. “Give us a boost, Luvbi.”

“UUUGH. Pray, must I do everything?” She sighed. “Verily well.” Luvbi got behind the glider and waved a gust of air, setting their flight off. They flew the glider around a canyon wall and glider between two parallel walls, while Luvbi remained under them and kept them aloft with her gusts. There were Irkens sitting in turrets along the cliffsides, so the group had to maneuver up and down to avoid their shots. They were coming up to a wall that had an avalanche pouring down. The avalanche had a tiny split in the center, so the group turned the glider sideways to slip right through. They flew under a cave area, navigating around some stalactites. To their right, they caught a glance of the mariachi band on a platform, frozen solid in ice cubes.

The glider soared out of the cave and was coming to another vast snowfield. By this time, the blizzard began to calm, and it snowed peacefully as they had a view of the blue night sky, covered with stars and a crescent-shaped moon. The heroes took land on the snowfield as Dib’s glider turned back into mech arms, and a pack of White Wolfos emerged from the snow. Dib once again beat them away with his arms as they came, and Nigel blew them back with missiles. Ava tossed her swords like boomerangs and damaged them, but the wolves were still on their feet as they snarled and prepared to pounce them. However, Luvbi sent them flying with a powerful blast of air before they had the chance.

“Pray, I canst not wait for thee forever. We must presseth onward, and ignore petty distractions like yonder wildlife.” Once again, the team rolled their eyes as they continued to follow the angel.

“So, Luvbi,” Nigel began, “what planet are you from?”

“Pray, what business hast thou to know where I am from?!”

“Just thought I’d start a conversation.”

“Well, if thou must know, I cometh from the graceful realm of Skypia, home of the Nimbis.”

“Nimbis?” Dib asked. “You mean the tribe of people that are said to live in the skies above our world?”

“Yea! Thou hast heard of us?”

“Well, yeah! Your people are quite famous to us paranormal investigators!”

“So, you come from Earth as well?” Nigel asked.

“Nay, we come from above Earth. From above various worlds, verily. We were the original airbenders. We learnt our bending from the Sky God, Rayquaza, and passed it to the sky bison, who then taught it to the humans. We were once all over the place, but yonder firebenders wipeth most of the airbenders out. Now, there are only so many airbenders left, and the Nimbis have taken it upon themselves to hide from humanity.”

“Are there still some human airbenders left on Earth?”

“Pray, wherefore should I know of such?! Now, enough babbling, for we hath a mission to accomplish!”

The three soon trekked up a small, snowy hillside, but when they walked over the top, they suddenly slipped and slid down an icy slope, finding themselves in a small, round ice gorge that almost looks like it was carved by something. Luvbi flew over them and exclaimed, “Thou canst solve this. Now, catcheth me if thou canst!” as she flew ahead.

The gang tried running up the icy slope out of the gorge, but ended up sliding down. They tried running up the other way, but ended up sliding down there as well. “What now?” Dib asked.

“HEY! LUVBI!” Nigel called, but no answer. Just then, a squadron of Chilfos appeared over the other side, looking down on them.

“Alright, boys, the Ice King wants us to keep these brats away from the palace at all costs. Hope you like ice hockey!” With that, big pucks of ice with red eyes appeared by the Chilfos. The Chilfos drew ice sticks and began knocking the Mini-Freezards down to where the heroes were. The ice pucks slid up and down the slopes over and over.

Nigel tried shooting them with his blaster, Ava with her swords, and Dib with his mech arms. Each attack made them crack a little, but it only made them slide around more, knocking the heroes off their feet. “There’s too many!” Ava exclaimed.

Just then, a Mini-Freezard containing a pink Wisp with spikes appeared by one of the Chilfos, who then knocked it down to the heroes and was instantly slapped by another Chilfos. “Not that one, you idiot!”

Nigel saw the ice puck holding the Wisp and ordered, “Take out that one!” The team sprang to their feet and began attacking the ice puck. Soon, it was destroyed, and the pink Wisp was released. The Wisp flew into Nigel’s body, who then absorbed it and felt the Color Power activating. In an instant, pink spikes began sprouting all over his body, and he even grew an armadillo-like shell with spikes.

“This feels so weird… and yet so cool!” With that, he curled up into his shell and began rolling over all the ice pucks, destroying them. He then rolled up to the Chilfos and fired pink spikes at them through his knuckles, chopping off their icy body parts bit by bit. Once they were all gone, he rolled down, grabbed Ava, curled her up in his shell, and rolled up with her. He then repeated the process with Dib, just in time for the Wisp to wear off.

“I hope I never have to do that again.” Said Ava, dizzy.

“Let’s go find Luvbi.” Said Nigel as the three continued along the path.

They were close to a steep, towering mountain, watching Luvbi soar over the top. They walked closer to the mountain as more Chilfos came out of the snow, whacking Mini-Freezards over to knock them down. Nigel fired a missile at the first Chilfos while Ava whacked the Mini-Freezards away with her swords. Nigel tossed grenades at the Chilfos to blow up their ice-hockey sticks, leaving Ava to jump over and slice them to bits. When they got close enough to the cliffside, they wondered how they could climb up. Dib got an idea and took out his Golf Bomb, locking on and swinging a Golf Bomb into the lower wall to blow it up, causing a hill of snow and rubble to come down.

The trio walked up the snow hill onto the first ledge around the mountainside. A couple of Chilfos came out and chucked spears, but the group avoided as Nigel shot them enough times to take them out. The group then noticed a jagged rock with pink lights leaking through the cracks. Already knowing what this was, the Brit tossed a grenade and blew the rock open, releasing the Spike Wisp.

“SPIKES!” Nigel yelled as the spikes grew along his form. All he had to do was grab Ava and Dib into his shell and begin to roll up the steep mountainside. A few boulders dropped from up above, so Nigel had to roll around them in order to make it up safely. Once they were at the top of the mountain, the Color Power wore off, and they found Luvbi hovering over a rock, praying to herself. The group approached her with an angry look on Nigel’s face. (End song.)

“Doo-bi-doo-bi-doo…” Luvbi sung to herself, her back turned toward the operatives. When she heard their footsteps stepping through the snow, she turned she turned and saw them and said, “What taketh thee so long?!”

“We had to climb up this mountain and deal with ice people!” replied an angered Nigel.

“That dost not excuse thine lateness! By now, we would hath been at the Ice Palace. Or at least, I would.”

“Well, of course you would! You have wings, you don’t have to walk for miles just to get somewhere ‘cause you can just fly there! If you had legs instead of wings, you’d see how hard it is for us to get around!”

“Had I legs instead of wings, I would hath not dared to be allowed into GKND. Which maketh me more surprised you were!”

“The only surprise here is that you were invited! You’ve been nothing but a pain in the neck this entire mission! You’re a spoiled brat who doesn’t deserve to be leader and doesn’t even deserve this title!!”

Once Nigel finished his angry rant, Luvbi had tears in her eyes. “Fine! Find the Ice Palace on thine own! I will not be helping! I will be sulking!” And so, she flew off crying.

As they were watching her leave, Dib said, “Talk about being harsh.”

“If you ask me, she deserved it.” Replied Ava.

Nigel on the other hand was feeling guilty. He sighed and said, “You guys go on ahead. I’m gonna go apologize.” With that, Nigel walked toward Luvbi’s direction and Dib and Ava continued along the path they were walking.

Along the road, Dib asked, “Hey, Ava, ever wonder why we didn’t just land close to the Ice Palace and not miles from it?”

Ava just shrugged.

**With Luvbi**

Luvbi was floating down the icy fields, sobbing. She soon got tired of flying and went to sit on a rock in a small cave. She sniffled. “What is the point? No one careth for me. No one wanteth me.”

“Luvbi?” Luvbi looked her behind her to see Nigel.

“Pray, wherefore hath you followed me?! Here to yell at me some more?”

“No! Luvbi, I’m sorry I yelled at you. I didn’t really mean it like that.”

“Oh, save thy breath. You doth not careth for me. Just like no one.”

“Luvbi, of course I care about you. We’re just trying to get use to each other is all. And what do you mean no one cares about you?”

“I hath no friends back in Skypia. I wast hated by everyone, even my own sector. ‘Tis why I was joyful when Infinity and 74.239 came to take me away to yonder GKND, so that I could leave everyone who mocketh me behind! But even after serving for a millennium and a half, I am considered to be most-hated operative. And ‘tis why I hate working with others, knowing they all hate me anyway. I can do yonder missions all by myself!”

“Is that why you’re always praying for a prince? So that you have someone who loves you?”

Luvbi nodded. “Yea. I do not care for what Dimentia hast to say about love. Asketh me and her mind is as wrong as her face. She claims love is misery, but I hath no one to love, and yet, I am miserable. Whenever it is my time get a drink of Jirachi’s juice, I contemplate whether I should go or let myself catch the disease and die, knowing I will never find my prince.”

Nigel reached over and put a hand on her shoulder (which is SMALL compared to his big hand). “Well, not to seem rude, but maybe you’d be less hated if you weren’t so bossy.”

“Yea, mayhap.”

“And don’t worry about your prince. It may take a week, it may take a thousand years, but you’ll find your perfect match someday!”

Luvbi gave a small smile. “Doth thou thinkst so?”

“Count on it!” With that, the two began heading back to the others.

On the way, Luvbi asked, “Pray tell, Nigel: is yon Rachel thou spoke of earlier thine princess?” 

Nigel blushed. “Uhhh, maybe.”

“Ha HA! I knew this to be so! Is she pretty?”

“Well, yeah actually. In fact, she has this little brother I think you’d be interested in.”

“Ah, a possible prince, mayhap! Is yon little brother handsome?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but you two do have a lot in common, it seems.”

“Well, if the chance should arise, I’d be delighted to meet him!”

As they walked, the mariachi band stood on another nearby rock, playing their music. “A-And so, the bald Brit m-made up with Luvbi and continued on their way t-to the Ice Palace, s-slowly trekking to their t-terrible demise.”

“L-Let’s hope h-he dies before w-we do.” One of the band members froze and fainted.

**And there we go. I’m not sure this chapter played out well, but I hope to get to the boss fight in the next one. What do you guys think? And how am I doing at writing Shakespearian? Anyhoo, the Chilfos, the Wolfos, and the Mini-Freezards come from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_. I came up with Glacia on my own. Well, later.**


	12. Enter: Star Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nigel enters the Ice Palace as they search for the Star Piece.

**I forgot to mention, a lot of people get this wrong, but “wherefore” means “why”, not where. I know it sounds weird, but that’s what it is. Anyway, let’s get on with the show, we’re entering the next dungeon. Let’s go.**

**_Chapter 12: Enter: Star Wolf_ **

The gang continued to trek through the icy fields. Nigel and Luvbi had caught up with Ava and Dib (who still questioned why they didn’t park NEAR the Ice Palace), and continued to follow Luvbi. As the four were moving through a terrible blizzard, Luvbi stopped and said, “But soft! Therein is something that waits for us.”

On that cue, a group of six White Wolfos popped up out of the snow and surrounded the heroes. The team readied for battle as the wolves slowly circled them. As the wolves were about to jump at them, a roar was heard in the distance, and the wolves evacuated. “What do you think that was?” Nigel asked. The team then heard the sound of large stomping.

They looked to see the shadow of a large monster coming their way out of the darkness of the blizzard. Once it was close enough, it was revealed to be a yeti with white fur, blue skin in the spots where the skin was bare, big black eyes, and sharp teeth. The team backed away in slight fear of the monster. “WHITE WOLFOS. THEY VICIOUS CREATURES. YOU LUCKY I SHOW UP, UH.” The yeti spoke in a loud voice.

“Uhhh, thanks?” Nigel replied, confused.

“NO MENTION IT! IT NOT EVERY DAY WE HAVE STRANGE VISITORS ON PLANET, UH. WHY STRANGE PEOPLE COME TO FROZEN PLANET? IT NOT GREAT PLACE FOR VACATION IF NOT YETI LIKE ME, UH.”

“You’re a real yeti?!” Dib asked.

“MM-HM. ME YETO. I AM YETI, UH. WHO ARE YOU?”

“We’re, uh, looking for a Star Piece?” Nigel answered, still unsure about this creature.

“STAR PIECE? OH! YOU MEAN BIG, SHINY STAR THAT ICE KING FIND OTHER DAY, UH?”

“Yea, that is the one. Doth thou know quickest route to yonder palace?” Luvbi asked.

“UH, UH, UH, UH, UH, UH! SURE! IT JUST DOWN THIS HILL, UH!” he replied as he pointed down a steep hill.

“Great. More walking.” Nigel replied.

“NO WALK. WE SLED THERE, UH. IT MORE FUN.”

“But we don’t have sleds!”

“THEN USE ICE LEAVES! DO LIKE ME, UH! COME ON!” With that, Yeto punched a nearby tree with large, frozen leaves, and the leaves fell out. Yeto hopped on one and used it as a sled down the hill.

“Soundeth like a plan.” Luvbi said as she landed on a sled and forced it down the hill with her wind. “Catchest me if thou canst!”

Nigel and Ava then ran to two more sleds and began sliding down. Dib, however, just activated his mechanical skis from before and used them. Soon, the whole team was sliding down the hill. (Play the “Snowboard Race” theme from _Rayman 3_!)

“Methinks I will reacheth the bottom first!” Luvbi shouted before blowing herself farther.

Nigel, Ava, and Dib tried their best to keep up with each other, trying to reach the bottom first, while avoiding trees, rocks, and ice soldiers who were trying to stop them. The path down the mountain made a tight turn to the right, so the group made a careful turn on their boards. The four came to a small gap in the ground and had to jump it, with Nigel using a ramp to shoot across, the Brit making several turns in the air before landing on the snow. The track became more wide open ahead as Ice Keese and large ice statues, called Freezards, guarded the area. A Freezard blew an ice breath at Ava as she came by, but she swiftly slid by the ice monster, who missed by a few inches. Dib was coming to one of the Freezards, and he tried to ski to the left, but he could barely turn his skis sideways before the tips of them hit the Freezard, and he ended up skiing backwards.

Up ahead on the track was a field of icicle stalagmites, which Luvbi avoided by going up the ramp along the left wall and using air gusts to blow herself upward. Ava was able to get ahead of Nigel as she tossed her swords to cut away the grounded icicles, leaving a path for both of them to follow. They were about to sled to another gap in the ground, but they went up a slanted boulder and started to sled across an icy bridge. They shot off the ramp on the other side and saw Luvbi up ahead as they were sledding down another series of snaky turns along the track.

At the end of that little canyon area, they found their selves miles above the ground below, having to leap with their sleds over a series of towering stone pillars. As they leapt across, Nigel was about to fall into the chasm before reaching one of the platforms, but Ava slid by and grabbed him and his board, so when they jumped to the next platform, both of them were still going down. They made it out from over the chasm and onto safe, regular sledding ground. Meanwhile, by this time, Dib was just getting front-ways again, his skis stopping for a few seconds when they flipped sideways, and he was in dead last.

“Oh man, if only I had rockets in my skis. Wait! I totally have rockets in my skis!” With that, rockets sprouted from the sides of the skis, allowing Dib to zoom past the others with ease. “Now to just sit back, relax, and watch my progress!” Dib said as a metallic dome came up and locked him inside.

The inside of the dome appeared to be a log cabin with a fireplace and a window. Outside the window was the scenery of the mountain zipping by, due to the rocket skis. Dib was kicking back in a soft, comfy chair, until a butler walked up and asked, “Would you like some more tea, sir?”

“Cool! Thanks, Crone!” Dib replied as Crone handed him some tea.

“Would you like to check on the race, sir?”

“That’d be nice.” With that, Crone pushed a remote, opening a window in front of Dib. Dib screamed as he saw an incoming tree, and in an instant, the skis crashed and shattered, leaving a bruised Dib. Dib watched in dismay as his friends all sped past him. Hearing some music, he turned to see the mariachi band sliding down on a sled of their own.

“You know what they say, amigo: a cheater never winds. But on the bright side, we have these nice, warm scarves!” the band leader said as they sped right past him.

“Hey, wait!” Dib exclaimed as he ran after them.

The rest of the team was still sliding down the hill, neck in neck as they saw the Ice Palace in sight. They saw that they were coming to a large ramp that seemed to shoot straight for the Ice Palace. The three shot toward the ramp at great speed and shot off of it. The three felt as though they were flying as they moved through the air.

“THIS IS AWESOME!” Nigel screamed.

“Mayhap if thou gets the chance, thou canst bring yon Rachel hither!”

Nigel blushed a little. “Hehe. Yeah, maybe.”

“We’re almost there!” Ava exclaimed as they were about to crash before the Ice Palace.

After a few more seconds of flying, the team came to a crash before the front gates of the palace. (End song.)

Nigel, Ava, and Luvbi shook the snow off their heads and stared up at the imposing frosty palace. “Have to admit, Ice King picks a nice choice of scenery.”

“Brr-r-r-r-r.” Ava rapidly shook her head to knock snow off and said, “Let’s just hurry up and grab this Star.”

Yeto watched as the group entered the palace and exclaimed, “OOO! YETO NEED MUCH PRACTICE IF EVER TO BEAT THOSE GUYS IN A RACE! UH, UH, UH, UH, UH, UH!”

At the same time, the Star Wolf Team was flying over the palace. “They went into the Ice Palace!” Wolf pointed out.

“Should we go after them?” Leon asked.

“No. The king in there is a real nut job. He is weak, so there’s no reason to waste our strength on him. We’ll let the heroes wear their selves defeating him, then we’ll take the Star and take them OUT.”

“And perhaps that white alien with the ears will want to go on a date with me. Growl.” Panther growled.

“Date someone your own age Panther. Now, let’s go.” With that, they took back to the sky. (Play the “Crystal Palace Crawl” theme from _Paper Mario_.)

_Dungeon 3: Ice Palace_

_Mission: Find the Ice King and take the Star Piece from him._

The three started off in the foyer of the Ice Palace. The place was dark, though still enough light to see, and nearly all of the furniture, like the couch and chandelier, was frozen in ice. The floor was also icy and slippery, so the operatives couldn't move across quickly (although Luvbi could simply float). The trio walked to the double-door ahead of them, only to find it was sealed with a chained lock. The three then decided to go up the staircase that was on the left side of the room. The stairs were broken up top, but Nigel was able to latch his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to an icicle and get him and Ava up there (Luvbi just flew up). As they landed on the floor, their weight caused the icicle to drop, but they rolled out of the way before they could get pierced. They walked into a door that was up there to a small, narrow room with an icy floor, and a chest on the other side.

"This ice looks pretty unstable." Ava noticed. "It's frozen water. One slip up and we'll be popsicles."

"Pray, this chore beeth a snap for me." Luvbi said as she tried to fly across. However, as she glided over the icy surface, she felt her wings suddenly become weak. "W-What is-" Her wings stopped working, and she fell onto the ice.

"Luvbi, what's wrong?" Nigel asked.

The legless angel held herself up with her tiny arms and noticed a few papers with Japanese symbols on the walls, which also had pictures of tornadoes with an "X" through them. "They art chi-block traps. Some areas restrict the use of elemental abilities, and these symbols art pasted all over to prevent certain uses."

"Then I guess we're doing this the hard way." Nigel figured as he carefully took his first step on the thin ice. Luvbi crawled back to Ava as Nigel squatted down and carefully moved across the frozen water. The ice cracked a little beneath him, but it maintained his weight throughout the rest of the way. He was able to make it to the other side and open the chest, finding the key inside. With that done, he simply launched his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. onto the icicle that was above the starting point of the room and fly over the ice like that. He then had to quickly move away when the icicle fell.

They went back into the foyer and dropped down to the first floor, proceeding to open the locked door with the key. They entered the next room, which seemed wide open and took up two floors, with a narrow pathway on the second floor. Some Chilfos dropped from icicles on the ceiling and did their usual with chucking spears at the operatives. Luvbi conjured up a whirlwind to suck in the spears and spin them around before hurling them back at the Chilfos, blowing their arms off. This allowed Nigel to easily take out the disarmed Chilfos using grenades. When they finished, they noticed a strange, wooden propeller-like device. Luvbi conjured a whirlwind and made it blow over the propeller, spinning it around and causing a platform on the side of the room to rise up to the upper pathway.

“Seems pretty basic.” Ava observed. “But best to wait 'til we’re ON the platform.” At this, Luvbi sucked the whirlwind back and stopped spinning the device, making the platform come down. Nigel and Ava then stood on the platform, so when Luvbi blew the propeller again, the platform lifted them onto the upper pathway. The path led around the room and finally out of a door. The trio entered and found their selves standing outside. A blizzard was coming down hard on the icy courtyard, making the barely-suitably-clothed Ava and Luvbi rub their arms for warmth. The three walked down a small staircase into the courtyard, where Chilfos servants cut frosty ice bushes into beautiful cold, rectangular hedges. In the center of the courtyard was the ice-sculpted statue of some teenage boy, with shorts, bare feet, a sweater, and a staff raised in his right hand.

 _“Attention, everyone. This is your lovable king speaking.” A nasally voice echoed across the yard. “First of all, do_ NOT _use the bathroom in the eastern wing. I really had to go, and it froze upon contact. Secondly, while watching my new Mega-Ice Screen TV, I was having a cup of hot cocoa and accidentally melted it. Why I was drinking hot cocoa in the first place, I wasn’t really sure. I probably left it out too long and it got warm. But I can honestly assure you I will freeze enough fake money for me to pay for a new one. Or I can just… freeze up a new one myself, I dunno.”_

The three noticed another propeller device between the statue’s feet. But when Luvbi blew a whirlwind at the propeller, it didn’t move at all. “Nay good. Frozen like yonder white one’s tootsies, yea?”

“If only…” Ava mumbled.

“There has to be a way to warm up somewhere.” Nigel figured. “Let’s keep looking.” The three walked across the courtyard into another door, which led to a room with frozen water that led around many walls. There were also chi-block traps around the room, so Luvbi was restrained to crawling on the ice as they carefully moved across. Before they were able to get close, a massive shark, blue as ice, shot above the frozen liquid, snapping its jaws as the ice scattered into many shards that now floated among the water.

The kids held expressions of fright, but were relieved when the shark sunk below the water and swam away. “Well, THAT was unexpected.” Ava stated.

“Now our fair journey be even more difficult, yea?” Luvbi said.

“At least these things are strong enough to hold us. Just jump across, but be careful.” Nigel ordered. Ava had to hold Luvbi however as they carefully jumped over the icy footholds, waiting several seconds for each jump as the platforms wobbled at their weight. As they made their way around the wall on their right, Ava was about to fall into the icy liquid with Luvbi, but Nigel grabbed her arm and kept both of them on the platform. Finally, they were able to reach the door at the end of the frosty river.

They entered a wide-open circular room, in which most of the center was a pool of frozen water. The three decided to go into the center of the pool (Luvbi was able to float again), and when they did, that same shark from before started rampaging through the water, tearing up the ice and leaving it as small, wobbly platforms again. The three remained on a single platform in the center as the Frostshark came above the water, faced them, and tried to charge into them. The operatives jumped over to separate platforms and avoided the shark as it rammed into the other side of the pool, stunning itself as its mouth was left wide open. Nigel pulled out his V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and fired a missile into the mouth, doing damage on its insides.

The shark shook back to consciousness as it glared at the Brit and began swinging its head around, angrily splashing across the water as it approached the Brit in attempt to snatch his platform away, but Nigel jumped the footholds and got away from the shark. It then tried to ram the human again, but it missed still and crashed into the ledge. With its mouth hung open, Nigel fired a missile and damaged him inside the mouth. When the shark shook back to life, it sucked in some breath and unleashed a breath of fire, much to their surprise. Nigel hurriedly jumped the platforms as the shark began to melt them all.

“Pardon me, but how shouldeth I hath known thou couldst breathe fire when thine name is ‘Frostshark’?” Luvbi asked.

When the shark stopped breathing fire, Nigel barely landed on the ledge of an icy foothold, but still got on safely. He turned around and gasped at the sight of the shark coming at him, immediately jumping out of the way as it crashed into the wall. Nigel fired the final missile into its mouth and destroyed the shark completely. As it was vanquished, they watched as a red Wisp, shaped like a flame, emerged from the smoke and shot into Nigel’s body. “Hey, a new Wisp.” Ava noticed.

“And I’ve got an idea what this one’s for.” Nigel said as his body glowed red and he felt a lot warmer. The three went back into the room with the icy river. Nigel called, “FLAME!” as his body burst into flames, launching fires all around to warm the icy river, melting all the platforms in the process. With this newly warmed water, the operatives were able to swim across and reach the exit a lot faster. When they were out in the courtyard again, Nigel still had a bit of Color Power left, and he proceeded to throw flames and melt the ice off the propeller device.

The flame ability wore off as Luvbi blew a whirlwind onto the propeller. This caused the statue’s pedestal to begin rising. The column spun a little as it rose higher and higher, eventually coming to a stop on a walkway that led to a door on the higher part of the palace. “Well-p, guess that’s our next stop.” Nigel figured.

“Hold on.” Ava spoke up, checking her M.A.P.. “That door up there is locked. There’s a key in another room by the foyer.”

“Ahh, backtracking. Gotta love it.” Nigel said. The three proceeded back through the two-floor room and jumped down to the door that went back to the foyer. They used Nigel’s G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to latch onto the icicle to reach the second floor, moving away before the icicle crushed them again. They saw the door that supposedly had the key inside, but it was frozen solid. They then looked up at an icicle on the ceiling a few feet away, which had a Flame Wisp frozen inside. Nigel shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull the icicle down, releasing the Wisp as it shattered. The fiery alien shot inside the bald Brit and gave him his fire powers, allowing him to unfreeze the door.

They went inside and found a room similar to the room parallel, only the water was unfrozen, and the chest sat upon a platform high above the water. There were also old, metal pipes along the side of the room, which released small waves of frosty steam. Again, there were chi-block traps to prevent Luvbi from using her power. Nigel looked back and forth between the water and ice-steam and had an idea. He pulled out his A.B.S.O.R.B.O. and used it to suck in some of the icy water. He shot the water at the ice-steam and was able to freeze the steam into platforms. Nigel hopped on and carefully balanced on the thin platforms, freezing other steam leaks along his way and making a staircase. He carefully hopped his way across the frozen steam and reached the chest. Inside was the Dungeon Key as Ava mentioned.

Nigel used the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. and pulled himself back to his friends, and they made their way all the way back to the courtyard. They headed up the spiral staircase that was inside the risen statue pedestal, all the way up to the upper walkway. They used the key to open the door that was up there and entered a narrow room with several icicles on the ceiling. The door out of there was up on a high ledge, but Nigel already saw the solution and used his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull the icicles down as they stuck and stood perfectly in the ground. They were each different sizes, going taller as they went across, so the team used them as stairs to easily reach the door.

They were outside again on a walkway that was on the side of the palace, looking to their left to see a ladder going higher up the palace. Up top, however, there was a Freezard waiting for them, ready to freeze any intruders if they came. Nigel readied his V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and prepared to shoot one up there, but when he did, the Freezard was able to freeze the missile in its tracks, making it plummet to the ground. Seeing no way up there for the moment, the team decided to go to their right and climb down another ladder. They appeared in a small room with an icy floor and several Mini-Freezards. Nigel shot the first Mini-Freezard, but this set off a sort of chain-reaction as it began sliding and bouncing around the walls of the room, knocking onto other Freezards and making them slide about.

Nigel and Ava were knocked off their feet and could barely stand with all the sliding ice-pucks. Luvbi only rolled her eyes before using a blast of air to blow the Mini-Freezards against the wall on the other side of the room, continuously blowing air so as not to let them bounce around and keep them in place. With this in mind, Nigel was easily able to throw grenades and blow them all up. One of them released a Flame Wisp, which Nigel absorbed and gained the flame power again. The three went back up on the walkway as Nigel launched a barrage a fireballs to melt the Freezard that was guarding on top.

Nigel and Ava proceeded to climb the ladder (while Luvbi floated) as the blizzard snows continued to fall on their faces. The only sounds were the blizzard winds and the Chilfos soldiers speaking up top. “I tell ya, that Ice King annoys me everyday. How’d he get to be ruler, anyway?”

“He’s not the _real_ king, don’tcha remember? He took over this palace after the real owners disappeared.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you notice that statue out in the courtyard? Dude’s afraid ta get rid of it ‘cause he’s afraid of ghosts or somethin’.”

“Whose is that statue, anyway?”

“Er, the king doesn’t want us to say his name.”

“Ahhhh… Well-p, if I ever need help memorizing history, you’re the first person to come to.” He said sarcastically.

“Ex-cuse me.”

When the operatives made it up, the Chilfos immediately took notice and tossed their spears, but the operatives easily dodged as Luvbi blew them over the edge. Ava checked her M.A.P. and pointed up the tower. “The Ice King’s chamber is all the way up there. And there’s a Pink Wisp there.” She pointed to an icicle in a small room beside them, which held the Spike Wisp frozen.

Nigel shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull the icicle down and release the Wisp, allowing it to fly into his body. “SPIKE!” The spikes grew along his body as he proceeded to grab Ava into his spikey shell. He rolled his way up the wall of the tower as Luvbi flew after them. Large icicles dropped from up above, but Luvbi helped the operatives by blowing the icicles away. When the Color Power wore off, the trio was at the ledge near the top of the tower. They walked up a few more stairs before reaching a huge, double-door.

“Ice King’s chamber?” Nigel asked.

“Big doors mean something.” Ava said.

“Let us nabbeth us a Star!” Luvbi exclaimed. The three entered the large door and prepared to face their challenge. (End song.)

The chamber was nearly pitch-black and hard to see as the operatives looked around. The large doors slammed tight and shook the room upon closing.

_“Well, well, well. Now, what group of snot-nosed kids dares to crash into MY domain?”_

The three looked around. “Who goeth there?!” Luvbi asked.

“It’s too dark!” Ava replied.

 _“Oh, my sincerest apologies. Allow me to shed a little light on the situation.”_ With that, the lights in the room came on, and the room was revealed to be an icy chamber with icicles on the ceiling and red Wisps frozen inside.

The team looked to the other side of the room to see a light-blue-skinned man with a big, white beard, long nose, a gold crown, and dark blue robe, sitting on a throne. “Who are you?” Ava asked as they all readied for battle.

“I’m the Ice King! King of ICE! Seriously, the throne and the crown should be able to give that away.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s just we expected the Ice King to be more… cool looking.”

“Oh, well I beg your pardon. Is THIS cool enough for ya?” With that, the Ice King threw a blast of ice and froze Nigel’s blaster. “You may be _cool_ in weather like this, but I’M the king of the cold dark!”

“Big deal. I’ve got several more. And I don’t even need a weapon to take a freak like you on! Now, give us the Star!”

“Ooo, I’m afraid that won’t be happening. You see, I have a lot in common with King Croacus. I don’t care for what the Tallest have planned, but I do love beautiful things! And ever since I found that Star Piece, the palace has looked EVER so lovely!”

“Givest us yon Star, foul creature!” With that, Luvbi threw a blast of wind at the Ice King, but it had little effect as he stood his ground with his beard and robe blowing in the wind, revealing his bare legs.

“Ooo, stop it! You’re giving me goose bumps!” He giggled.

Luvbi stopped as she and the rest shielded their eyes. “Okay. I’m seriously grossed out.” said Ava.

“I’ve always admired the way you flow in the wind like that, Luvbi! You’re such a beautiful princess, and I know a pretty princess when I see one. That’s why when I win, I plan to keep you by me forever!”

Everyone had disgusted looks on their faces, while Luvbi’s looked horrified. “Thou art more gross than the man on _Ned’s Declassified_! There is no WAY I’ll be with thee! What I desire is a prince, not some gender-confused king!”

“And just what makes you so sure you’re gonna win?” Nigel asked.

“Because you’re kids and I’m an adult! (And real handsome, too!) And I have the perfect monster for the job! Come, Icipede!” (Play the “Fraaz Battle” theme from _Zelda: Spirit Tracks_.) With that, a door opened behind the throne and a giant centipede monster made of ice came crawling in. It mainly consisted of huge chunks of ice with Pink Wisps trapped inside some.

Numbuh 1 looked at the Icipede’s head to see the Light Blue Star inside. “He’s got the Star Piece!”

“Icipede: ATTACK!” As Ice King ordered, the Icipede grabbed the Ice King in his mouth and began shaking him. “No, Icipede! Them, not me!” With that, the Icipede tossed the Ice King upwards and he landed on its head. “Now, to defeat you, and turn you into BEAUTIFUL ice sculptures! Ahem, get them!”

_Boss fight: Icipede_

The Icipede charged itself at the heroes, who dodged out of the way. Luvbi, however, tried shooting wind blasts at it, but ended up being eaten. Luvbi was then seen frozen inside one of the ice chunks. Ice King laughed at this. “One down, two to go. Let’s take this upstairs, Icipede!”

The Icipede then crawled up the wall and on the ceiling, where it began knocking icicles down on the heroes. The Icipede then curled up in the spot above Numbuh 1. “Now, crush him!” Numbuh 1 then looked below him to see a frozen Red Wisp and smirked as he got an idea. As the monster dropped from the ceiling, attempting to crush him, Nigel jumped out of the way, allowing the ice bug to smash the ice containing the Wisp, which quickly flew to Numbuh 1.

Numbuh 1 absorbed the Wisp and yelled,  “FIRE!” as he threw a fireball at the part of Icipede containing Luvbi, destroying it and releasing her. The Color Power wore off shortly after.

“Big deal.” Said Ice King. “He can do this!” With that, the missing chunk of the monster spawned right back.

“How about I giveth thee a lift?” Luvbi asked. Nigel jumped above her, allowing her to blow him upwards and land on the back of the Icipede. He then began to make his way over to Ice King.

“Grrr! Shake him off!” With that, the Icipede began running in circles, causing the bald Brit to lose his footing and slip off. The Icipede stopped and allowed the Ice King to laugh and dance. He lifted his robe and started kicking his legs in the air while laughing, “Heeheehee hee hee, heeheehee hee hee! Nice try, boy!” The Icipede crawled up the ceiling and repeated the process before.

As it was about to drop on Numbuh 1 again, the bald operative formulated another plan. He dodged as the Icipede dropped again, allowing it to release another Flame Wisp, which Nigel absorbed. He then threw blasts of fire at a chunk of the Icipede containing a Pink Wisp, which Nigel then absorbed, chasing the Fire Wisp out. Spikes sprouted on Nigel’s body as Luvbi blew him upwards again, landing him on the Icipede.

The Icipede started shaking once again, but failed to knock him off, as the spikes on Nigel’s body stuck him to the beast. He curled up into a spike ball and shot over to the Ice King, knocking him off. Nigel hopped off as well and began punching the Ice King in his beard.

“OW! Stop! My beautiful beard! Oof!” He soon broke away from Nigel’s grasp and said, “That Icipede’s too dangerous! I’ll handle you from the air where it’s safe!” With that, his beard began flapping like wings and Ice King took to the air. “Now that I’m up where you can’t reach me, destroy them Icipede!” The Icipede then crawled up the wall, repeating the same process as before.

“The thing about these bosses is they always repeat the same stuff that destroys them.” Ava said.

“Well, then I think it’s high time we finish this fight!” Nigel said as he stood atop a frozen Flame Wisp and, well… you probably know the rest. Once he absorbed the Flame Wisp, the Icipede then charged at him with its mouth open. “Perfect timing!” Nigel said as he shot a huge burst of fire into the Icipede’s mouth. The Icipede’s parts then began exploding, starting from the back, until it was just the head left.

“Icipede! NOOO!” Ice King screamed as his pet’s head began to crack and eventually explode, releasing the Star Piece.

Nigel then absorbed another spike Wisp and Luvbi blew him into the air, allowing Nigel to shoot some pink spikes at the Ice King, sticking him to the ground. Luvbi made a gust of wind shoot from below the Ice King, making his beard blow upwards, which Ava then ran up to and sliced with her swords. The Ice King groaned in dismay. (End song.)

“Well, that should do it!” exclaimed Nigel.

“Kinda easy, for a boss fight.” Replied Ava.

“Well, at least it’s done. Now, let’s get the Star Piece and close this chapter.”

 _“Don’t get too cocky, GKND!”_ The team looked around to see where the voice came from. They suddenly felt the room begin to shake. The gang screamed as the ceiling exploded, exposing the chamber to the outside air.

“HEY! WHAT’S THAT?!” Nigel shouted as he saw four ships coming their way, with one of them being long and snakelike.

“So, you’re the bald kid who’s been messing up the Tallests’ plans.” The pilot that was a wolf said.

“It’s Team Star Wolf!” Ava exclaimed.

“Who?” Nigel asked.

“Team Star Wolf is a group of galactic bounty hunters who make their hideout in the Sargasso Region. They consist of Wolf O’Donnell, Leon Powalski, and Panther Caroso. I don’t know who that other guy is.”

“Rattlesnake Jake, why don’t you go down there and introduce yourself?” Wolf asked.

“That’d be sssweet.” With that, Rattlesnake Jake landed on the ground by them and slid out of his armor. He went over and grabbed the Star Piece in his mouth and threw it up to Wolf, who opened his cockpit and caught it. The three then ran over to Jake, who quickly drew out his machinegun tail, causing them to freeze.

“Machinegun tail. Pretty ssweet, ain’t it?”

“Keep saying ‘ssweet’ and I’ll mistake you for my cousin, Francis!” Leon joked.

Jake then looked over to Nigel and instantly wrapped himself around him. Nigel tried to break free as Jake said, “Well, I’ll be the uncle of a Ssspanish anchorwoman. Sso, you’re the infamouss Number 1. Human hero of the GKND. I musst say, you do look mighty tasty. The way you sstruggle to esscape my grassp will make you taste all the ssweeter. I’ll sstart with the head!” Before Jake was about to bite into Nigel’s head, he was hit by a blast of ice.

He looked to see the beardless Ice King, who had escaped from his trap. “Hey, you! Give me back my Star before I freeze you solid!”

Jake gave Ice King a deathly look before tossing Nigel aside and wrapping around the Ice King. “H-Hey! What are you- NOOO!” Nigel, Ava, and Luvbi shielded their eyes from the Ice King’s fate.

They opened their eyes in time to see Jake chewing on something and coughing out a crown. “Ah… bitter. I’m gonna need something hot to eat after thisss.”

“You can eat later, Jake. Right now, just get back in your ship. We have to get this Star back to the Tallest.” Wolf commanded. Jake did as he said and slid back into his armor, which began to rise into the air. “If you want your precious Star back, we’ll be waiting above the planet’s atmosphere. See you there!” With that, the ships took off.

“We have to go after them! Come on! Back to the ships!” At Nigel’s command, the three headed down the palace.

**Outside**

Outside the palace, Yeto watched as Dib slowly limped to the front door, exhausted from having to walk so far. “Finally.” He panted. “I made it.” In that instant, his three friends came running out of the front door and ran past him, knocking him over.

“Back to the ships, Dib.” Ava ordered. Dib looked in their direction and simply fainted. Nigel and Ava ran back, picked him up, and carried him off. Yeto, as he watched them leave, just shrugged and went back into the palace.

**Glacia’s atmosphere**

After the long walk back through the icy fields, the four had finally made it back to their ships. Dib was finally recovered and ready for action. The four were flying out of Glacia’s atmosphere looking for the Star Wolf Team. “Where do you think they went?” Nigel asked.

“Over here!” just then, a bomb shot at the center of the four ships and exploded, but they were able to evade just in time. They then saw the Star Wolf Team heading their way. “Play time is over, kiddies!” Wolf said. (Play Star Wolf’s Theme from _Star Fox: Assault_!)

“I think I’ll torment you a bit before I cook you!” said Leon.

“In case you fools have forgotten, I am Panther, and all who see my rose meet death.” Panther growled.

“It’s time to send you to the other sside.” Jake hissed.

Dib instantly recognized the them. “Hey! Those are the guys that attacked me before!”

“I thought I recognized that bigheaded one.” Jake said.

“Alright team, there are four of us and four of them. That’s makes a perfectly even match.” Nigel stated. “How will this work?”

“I have a little score to settle with Jake.” Dib said.

“Okay. Dib, you take Jake. Ava will get Panther and Luvbi will get Leon. I’ll deal with Wolf.”

“Soundeth good to me.” Luvbi agreed. Everyone else agreed, too.

“Right then. Galactic Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!” With that, both teams separated and went after their own individual opponent.

_Boss fight: Star Wolf_

Luvbi was in hot pursuit of Leon, shooting all sorts of electric blasts at his ship. “Thou canst not run nor canst thou hide from mine ship!” she exclaimed.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to disagree about that hiding part!” Leon replied as he pressed a button in his ship, turning his ship invisible.

Luvbi stopped and searched around for him. “Pray, where didst thou go?!”

“Right here!” Before she knew it, Luvbi was attacked by blasts from behind. “You may have the better hand at speed, but when it comes to stealth, you’re a slowpoke!”

Luvbi growled in anger. “How canst I fight one I canst not see?”

On Ava’s end, she was trying her best to shoot down Panther’s ship, which avoided nearly every shot. “Hold still so I can shoot you!” she said as she fired a missile in Panther’s direction, which then exploded as it got close enough. She flew through the smoke it created and, once she got out, began searching for where Panther has gone.

“Hello, Darling.” Ava looked up to see Panther’s ship above hers, upside down, so they can see eye-to-eye. “Ah, the lovely Ava. Words do you no justice. I am Panther Caroso. Here’s to us. Growl.”

Ava felt disgusted by this. “Find yourself another girl, lover boy. I’m WAY too young for you to date.”

“I believe a few others would beg to disagree.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter what they think ‘cause I don’t like you that way. So, good-bye.” With that, she flew ahead of him.

Panther whistled. “Ah, always so hard to get. They always run. And I like it when they run.” With that, he turned right-side-up and started firing lasers at Ava. The laser attacks may have come slow, but they did quite a number on Ava’s ship and she was struggling to get away.

Dib was doing his best to stay ahead of Rattlesnake Jake, as getting behind him may end up with his ship being trapped. Jake was trying to slow down Dib’s ship by firing lasers. “Ha ha ha! You can’t win!” As Jake fired more lasers at Dib’s ship, the paranormal investigator decided to take his chances and pull the breaks, allowing Jake to pass by.

Dib then began firing his own projectiles at Jake’s armor and successfully took out some of his laser turrets. “A lucky shot! But try THIS!” With that, the end of Jake’s armor opened up to reveal a cannon of some sort. The cannon then began firing various bombs at Dib’s ship. The explosion from one of the bombs blew Dib’s ship a bit, and once he recovered, he soon found himself once again in Jake’s clutches. “There ain’t nothin’ my tail can’t do!” Jake said as he began to crush Dib’s ship.

Nigel was still chasing after Wolf and was easily dealing out blows against his ship. “You can’t run from me, Wolf! I’m Numbuh 1!”

“Can’t say the same about your teammates.” At this, Nigel looked to see his friends were struggling against the other members of Star Wolf.

“Hey! Get this guy off me!” Dib screamed. Nigel then flew over to his aid and blasted the rattlesnake, making him release Dib. “Thanks!” Dib exclaimed as he went after Jake again.

“Hark! Come to my aid!” Nigel looked over to see Luvbi being blasted by lasers coming from nowhere. He fired his own lasers at the spot where the lasers originated and damaged Leon’s ship, causing it to reveal itself. “Thanketh thee!” Luvbi said as she somersaulted and got behind Leon’s ship.

“Ignorant angel. I am the great Leon!”

With the other two saved, Nigel looked to see Ava still being chased by Panther. “I’ll ask again.” Panther said. “Ditch these worms and come hang with me!”

“Like I’d ever!” Ava snapped.

“Then take this!” But before Panther could deal another blow, he was hit by Nigel, allowing Ava to get behind him.

“Thanks, Nigel!”

“Make me mad and your life’s as good as gone.” Growled an angered Panther.

Nigel then found himself being blasted by lasers and looked behind him to see Wolf. “That’s it! Now, I finish you!” Wolf said as he and Nigel went back to battle.

On Dib’s end, he was once again being chased by Rattlesnake Jake, who was hot on his tail. “I’m gonna send that sorry soul of yours straight down to Hell!” he exclaimed. Soon, Jake’s head was right below Dib’s ship and he was just about to wrap around it again.

But before he could have a chance, Dib dove his ship right into Jake’s head and successfully took out two of his four rockets, causing Jake to sink a little. “Not so tough now, are ya?! Now to finish this!” With that, Dib fired lasers at Jake’s remaining rockets, and the snake screamed as he crashed onto a nearby asteroid. His armor then shattered, exposing his body, leaving only his space helmet.

Luvbi was smiling as her attacks were effectively damaging Leon’s ship. “Who do you think I am?!” Leon shouted.

“Methinks thou art TOAST!” With that, Luvbi’s ship shot at Leon’s as fast as lightning. Her ship moved slightly to the right past Leon’s, allowing her sharp angel wings to cut the side.

“WHAT?! Me? ME?!” Leon screamed as his ship crashed onto the same asteroid as Jake’s.

“Thou art more high on thyself than I am!” Luvbi exclaimed.

Ava continued firing at Panther’s ship with joy, much to Panther’s dismay. “Consider yourself dumped!” Ava exclaimed as she fired another missile at Panther’s ship, destroying his engine.

“How can this be? I-I’ve been-“ But before he could finish, Panther crashed onto the same asteroid.

Wolf watched in horror as he saw his teammates crash, knowing he was the only one left. “Playtime is over, Wolf! Now it’s time to take you down!” Wolf looked back to see the four kids coming up behind him. “Ready, team?!” Nigel asked as his teammates began charging lasers on their ships. “FIRE!” And with that, they launched homing lasers at Wolf’s ship, making it spin and crash onto the same asteroid. (End song.)

The Star Wolf Team was then left standing on the asteroid, wearing space helmets, watching as the Light Blue Star Piece rose into the air and shot out into space, obviously back to the Star Sanctuary. The GKND operatives then drifted by the defeated team and smirked. “A comemorable effort, Team Star Wolf, but I’m afraid it was all in vain!” Nigel said triumphantly. “Maybe next time!” And with that, the four flew off, leaving Star Wolf stranded.

They were standing on the asteroid for a few moments until Jake groaned.

“What’s wrong with you?” Wolf asked.

“Oooh. I don’t think the Ice King got a chance to use the bathroom. Oooog.”

The mariachi band then drifted by the defeated team, wearing space helmets. “And so, the third Star Piece was retrieved and the GKND returned for the base, going to rest for the next leg of their journey. Little does our bald hero know that the next world will get him into some rather big problems.”

“Is he going to die there?”

“Oh, I think the next planet will have far too much for him to handle.”

**Star Haven**

Back at the Star Sanctuary, the third Star sat bright on its pedestal and the river rose up a bit. A light blue Wisp drifted by the fountain and took a drink of the water. After a few seconds, the Wisp groaned in pain and, in seconds flat, it morphed into a dark purple Wisp with a large mouth, sharp teeth, and horns. It roared for a few seconds before it was hit with a shock by a mysterious force.

The Wisp turned to see Dimentia standing in the doorway. It charged to Dimentia, attempting to attack her, but was stopped as Dimentia trapped it in a cube-shaped barrier. It tried to escape as Dimentia said, “Now, now, little Wisp. We wouldn’t want to start a riot.” With that, she began laughing maniacally.

 

**Well, there you have part 1 of the third boss fight. The Ice King, along with Icipede, come from _Adventure Time With Finn and Jake_ , and will probably be the only CN characters here outside of _KND_ (not including _Pokémon_ ). Yeto comes from _Twilight Princess_ , and the thing Dib did with his skis is the same thing Stewie did on _Family Guy_. Next time, we will fight Star Wolf, which may come up as a very short chapter. Oh well, later.**


	13. The Tale of the Nightmare King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimentia tells Nigel of an evil spirit.

**Alright, time for more story. This chapter, we should be learning some important stuff. Here goes.**

**_Chapter 13: The Tale of the Nightmare King_ **

It was yet another night where Numbuh 1 could barely sleep. He was having yet another nightmare (I guess would be the main point I’m trying to address).

_He was completely surrounded by darkness in his nightmare. In the distance, he could see his friends screaming and falling to certain doom. They then appeared right by him and started to glow and crackle. In seconds, they morphed into Magiblots. Those Magiblots then formed together to make a giant, floating KND symbol._

_The symbol chuckled. “Oh, come now. Why in the world would you care about them?” it said in Dimentia’s voice. “I am the only one that matters! I am the one you chose! And THEY are the ones you left behind! You chose this fate, and the past cannot be undone!” With that, the symbol laughed maniacally as Nigel ran away._

He woke up, panting and gasping for air.

_HAANH! HAANH! HAANH!_

He turned to look at his alarm clock and silenced it. “These nightmares are getting out of hand.” Nigel said to himself. “It’s almost like… someone’s trying to tell me something. But what? I think I need to speak to Dimentia.” He said before getting dressed and going to find his leader.

**The _Massive_**

Back on the _Massive_ , the Tallest were sitting on their couch, eating snacks, and watching their TV.

 _“We now return to Galaxia’s funniest home videos! In this one, we have a young Irken soldier trying to catch a jelly-space-fish.”_ The TV showed an Irken child trying to catch a giant, orange jellyfish on an asteroid with a net. The jellyfish quickly took the net away and began chasing the Irken child, who ran around screaming. _“Looks like he’s gonna need a bigger net!”_

The Tallest laughed at this while coughing out a few snacks. It was then that Orbot and Cubot barged in. “Sirs: we just got a report from our spy.” Orbot said.

“Yarr, it appear the landlubbers did away with them as good as they would a robot made o’ wood, arrgh!” Cubot replied.

“Ugh. I should have known they would mess this up. Even with Rattlesnake Jake’s help.” Red replied.

“Yarr, we say you we do about those landlubbers now, eh?”

Red thought for a moment. “Call me crazy, but I wonder if HE might have a chance against him?”

“You don’t mean…” Purple began.

Red nodded. “Let’s give him a call. Computer: connect to Fort Francis on Planet Kateenia.”

 _“Understood. Connecting to Fort Francis now.”_ In a few seconds, an image of a chubby, green chameleon, wearing glasses, braces, and a yellow _KND_ shirt appeared on screen. He was sideways and was holding and staring at a poster of Numbuh 10 wearing her vacation outfit.

 _“Neeerrrrr. Oh, Numbuh 10. You’re so cute when you show off your-“_ the nerd silenced himself when he looked to the side and saw the Tallest on his screen. He threw the poster behind his back and said, _“Oh, m-my Almighty Tallest. H-How may I help you?”_

“Uhhh, so Francis: how are things going down there?” Purple asked.

_“Oh, everything’s going schweeeet! I’ve been capturing those rare Shrink Wisps just like you asked! I should have another shipment sent over by tomorrow!”_

“That’s all well and good Francis, but we have a bigger task for you.” Replied Purple.

“It would appear your cousin, Leon, along with his comrades, were beaten by a little bald kid who goes around by the name, Nigel Uno.”

 _“N-Nigel Uno?”_ Francis hesitated. _“Y-You mean Numbuh 1? THE Numbuh 1?! Oh, it’s always been my life-long dream to meet the leader of Sector V and now LEON got to?! This stinks!”_

“Don’t complain yet, Francis.” Red began. “We have a feeling Number 1 might be headed your way soon enough. You still have the Star Piece, don’t you?”

_“Nerr her her her. Yes I do! Ever since you entrusted it to me!”_

“Perfect. Then they’ll no doubt be coming your way soon. We want you to-“ before Red could finish, a teenage boy in a grey sweater, shaggy hair, and a five o’clock shadow appeared on the screen next to Francis. They all looked at him with confused expressions. “Uhhh, who are you?”

The boy was silent for a moment. _“I’m Dave.”_

“How did you get here?” Purple asked.

_“I dunno. I just bought this new web cam, hooked it up, and turned it on.”_

“Well, this is a private channel.” Red replied.

_“Oh. How do I turn myself off?”_

“I don’t know!”

“Just get out of here!” Purple exclaimed.

_“But I wanna stay.”_

Red sighed. “Alright, fine, you can stay.”

“But you better keep quiet, Dave!” Purple ordered.

“Anyway,” Red continued, “they’ll no doubt be heading your way soon, Francis.”

“So, we need you to-“ before Purple could finish, they all noticed Dave was putting toothpaste on a toothbrush and was beginning to brush his teeth.

“Uhhh, w-we need you t-to…” Red tried to finish, but he and everyone else were too distracted by Dave’s tooth brushing. “Okay, you know what, we’ll call you later Francis. This is just too weird!”

“Almighty Tallest signing off!” At Purple’s cue, the communication link with Francis shut off, and the Tallest and the robots left the room. Dave was left on the TV screen, all alone, continuing to brush his teeth.

**Sector W Treehouse**

In Sector W’s treehouse, Paddy and Lee were happily playing a videogame, with Sonya watching from between them. “Man, that Rhymer guy was a total wimp!” Paddy exclaimed.

“Yeah, totally!” Lee replied.

Sonya looked behind the couch to see Harvey looking out a window by the wall. “What’s wrong with Harvey?”

“Beats me. He’s been there ever since we got back.” Paddy replied.

Sonya was silent for a moment. “I’m gonna go see what’s wrong with him.”

As she left, there was an explosion in the game and Lee screamed, “COOL!” as Paddy threw his controller to the ground.

Sonya approached Harvey and greeted, “Hey, Harvey!”

Harvey turned to look at her. “Oh. Hey, Sonya.” He said before turning back.

“You did a great job defeating that Rhymer!”

“Whatever.”

Sonya gave a small frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’.”

There was silence. “You’re thinking about Numbuh 1 again, aren’t you?”

“WHAT?!” he snapped.

“You miss him, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t MISS him! Why the heck would I MISS him?! I don’t even like him! (Not like my sister.)”

“Hmm?” Sonya rose an eyebrow at this.

“Ever since he vanished, my sister hasn’t wanted to do anything lately. We used to always hang out together. But now that he’s gone, she’s been all sad and depressed, thinking he’s mad at her for kicking him off the cake mission. And I can’t help but feel it’s all my fault.”

“Maybe because you’re the one who talked her into kicking him off?”

“The only reason I did that was so I could get her attention! Ever since he beat Grandfather, he’s been hogging all the attention from everyone, including my sister! When he vanished, I thought I could finally get back her attention. But now I just want him to come back. He was the only one who made my sister really happy, and that’s all I care about.”

Sonya smiled. “Well, I think it’s sweet that you care about your sister so much.” She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “And hey! Maybe he will come back, eventually!”

“Yeah… maybe.” He replied softly. He then realized Sonya’s hand was on his shoulder and shouted, “Don’t touch me!”

“Sorry.”

The shadow being, that eavesdropped from above the outside of the window, then flew back off into space. Once he was far above the atmosphere, he drew out, not his sword, but a black, heart-shaped necklace. “You are causing so much pain. And it seems only I can stop you.” The necklace opened, revealing a picture of Dimentia and a younger version of himself. _“Dimentia...”_

**Star Haven**

Back in the Star Sanctuary, Dimentia was sitting in the fountain, staring at herself in her mirror. “Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who has the most beautiful face in all the land?”

“Numbuh 256!” Dimentia turned to see Numbuhs Infinity and 74.239 flying in the entrance.

“What is it?”

“Numbuh 1 is looking for you. He needs to ask you something.” Infinity answered.

“Well, far be it from me to keep him waiting! Ciao!” She said before teleporting away.

“Well, now that that’s done, let’s have ourselves a drink!” Gabe suggested.

“Well, I am feeling a bit thirsty.” With that, Gabe and Jeremy flew down to the fountain and took a drink of water.

“Mmm, not bad!” Gabe said, satisfied with how it tasted.

“Well, it is Jirachi powered. Now, come on! Let’s go get lunch!” With that, they flew off.

**GKND H.Q.**

In the cafeteria, Nigel was wandering around looking for Dimentia. He saw Dib, Ava, and Luvbi sitting at their usual table. “Hey, Nigel! Come sit with us!” Ava called.

“Not now, Ava. I need to find Dimentia.”

“Okay. See you later.”

Nigel continued wandering the mess hall. “Where could she be?” he thought aloud.

“And so I arrive, unseen as a dodge ball in an echoing gymnasium!” Dimentia exclaimed, appearing behind the startled bald Brit. “Now, what can I do for you, Number 1?”

“It’s _Numbuh_ 1, and I need to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“Lately, I’ve been having these nightmares. Nightmares about my friends back on Earth. And you were sort of in them, too, always being posed as some evil sort. I don’t suppose you know what’s up with that?”

Dimentia was silent before replying, “Actually, there is something I meant to mention earlier.”

“Hmm?”

“Remember when I told you the Star Spirits created the first adults?”

“Yes, and…?”

“Well, the truth is, they had a little help.”

“From who?”

“A vicious spirit, known as none other than the Nightmare King.”

“The Nightmare King?”

“Yes. The Nightmare King is the most dangerous out of all the adults. He once tried to establish a dominion of Nightmares over Galaxia, along with the rest of the universe. It was by his hand that the Irken Empire, and the first adults, came to be. He’s the one who is mainly responsible for creating the disease, and it’s why the children of Irk are so overcome by it.

“The Irkens are a mix of Star and Nightmare magic. While they don’t have their powers, the Irkens were made in the same family as the Wisps. Since Wisps generally don’t age and Nightmares do, the Irkens take a long time to become adults. The aging process evidently differs for each Irken. Some Irkens could’ve been children for hundreds of years.”

“Then that explains why Tak and Zim knew each other for 50 years, and were still kids!” Nigel figured.

Dimentia nodded. “Anyway, the Nightmare King’s main job is to go around to different children across the universe and give them nightmares in their sleep. He knows the greatest fear of any child in the universe.”

“But why does he make you seem like a villain in my nightmares?”

“Probably because I’m the Supreme Leader. He wants to give everyone a bad image of me in order to convince them to turn traitor. But you shouldn’t be fooled by his tricks.”

“Where does he live?”

“In the dark, distant kingdom of Nightmare Land. But it’s far too dangerous for anyone to go there. And there’s really no point. The Nightmare King is far too powerful to stop.”

“Well, anyone with that title has just gotta spell trouble.”

“Exactly. For right now, let’s just focus on the main mission. I have another mission for you and your friends.”

“Shoot away.”

“A strange base was built on Planet Kateenia recently and we suspected the Irkens might have something to do with it. We sent Number 1-Inch down there to investigate two days ago and he hasn’t reported back ever since. I want you and your friends to go down and see what’s wrong. And if that base is as hazardous as we believe, I want you to destroy it.”

“Sounds simple enough.”

“I’ll bet it does. But for now, enjoy your lunch.”

As they were about to walk off in opposite directions, Nigel turned back and said, “Wait! There’s something else.”

Dimentia turned to him and smiled. “Yes?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask: what planet did you say you were from?”

“Oh. Zathura.”

“Where’s that at?”

Dimentia chuckled. “Far, far away...”

“Ooookay. I’ll see you later.”

“Ciao.” And with that, Nigel went to join his friends.

**Okay, next time, we’ll be starting the fourth planet, Kateenia. I’ll leave you to guess what the gimmick will be for that world. “Dave” comes from _Drake & Josh_, and the show the Tallest were watching is an obvious parody of _America’s Funniest Home Videos_. See you tomorrow.**


	14. Nigel Shrinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel encounters a small problem during a mission to Kateenia.

**Welcome back, me hearties! I actually had time to write another chapter today! We’re gonna start the next planet today! Uhhh, I can’t think of much to say. Thanks to my reviewer(s), I guess. Wouldn’t be able to go on without ‘em. Alright, let’s go.**

**_Chapter 14: Nigel Shrinks_ **

After finishing their lunches, the team of four, with Luvbi in the team now, were in their ships, drifting close to Planet Kateenia, their next destination. "I wonder what's on Galactic Radio." Ava said to herself as she pressed a button in her ship. The radio was activated in each of their ships as music started to play.

 _"Good morning, citizens of Galaxia, and welcome to Channel 5000. I am Linda,"_ a woman said on the speakers.

 _"-And I am MORBO."_ A male said in a loud, gruff voice. _"For today's broadcast, studies of the Earthican female, and their ways."_

_"We now go to Johnly Wordsington from Planetary Studies. Johnly?"_

_"Thank you, Linda."_ The voice of a British man spoke. _"First, let us talk about the speaking habits of the Earthican female. The Earthican female seems to speak the same language as Earthican males. But of further studies, when Earthican females speak of certain items in low quantities, they occasionally refer to higher quantities. For example, if an Earthican female says she is going to buy a couple groceries, you can clearly see that she has bought several pounds of groceries upon her return. Next, let us observe the way the Earthican females interact with each other. When interacting, Earthican females appear to have many compliments to say to each other. However, within the privacy of their habitats, the Earthican females speak to their young about negative features they have found in the other Earthican females. And as you can see here, the young often result in getting a headache. However, when a group of Earthican females take a certain distaste in another Earthican, they tend to favorite each other over that someone, and often deny that someone's reasoning when it goes against the other Earthican females. When we return, we will look at the daily rituals of the Earthican squirrel: observed as Earth's most intelligent species, as we have captured live footage of it deceiving a simple bigheaded human locked in a treehouse of his own making."_

 _"Thank you, Johnly of Planet... 'Neweenglind'."_ Linda spoke. _"And now, we return to our regularly scheduled program, Really Loud and Annoying Orchestra."_ The radio began to play an orchestrated remix of the song “Prince Ali” from _Aladdin_. The orchestra was really loud and totally killed the peace and quiet of flying through space. After another series of notes, they decided to switch the radio off.

“So, let me get this straight:” Dib began, “the Irkens were created by a dark spirit called the Nightmare King, who is also the one responsible for creating this ‘disease’, and he gets all his power from scaring kids?”

“If what Dimentia says is true.” Nigel replied.

Dib was silent for a moment. “Well, it makes as much sense as all of this other stuff. But there’s one thing I don’t get: how did Dimentia know about the disease in the first place?”

There was silence. “I’ve been thinking the same thing.” Nigel replied.

“Yea, I hath been thinking the same thing myself. And methinks our fair leader is not telling us all she knows.” Luvbi replied.

“Maybe, but it’s probably best not to question it too much.” Ava replied.

This earned her suspicious glares from her teammates. “Why is that, Ava?” Nigel replied.

Ava was silent. “I don’t know. I just… I have this feeling. That’s all.” She said in a worried tone.

“Okay…” Nigel replied, slightly suspicious. “Well, let’s just focus on what we’re doing now, then.”

“The planet’s dead ahead!” Dib exclaimed! “I can’t wait to see what this one has!”

**Fort Francis**

Inside a room in the base on Planet Kateenia, the nerdy chameleon, known as Francis, was speaking to the Almighty Tallest on his screen. “Neeerrr. Is that strange fellow gone?”

 _“As far as we can tell, his new web cam is off.”_ Replied Red. _“Anyhoo, back to the main subject: our spy just reported and they are definitely headed your way. They’re coming to find an operative known as ‘Number 1-Inch’. Know anyone by that name?”_

“No. Not really. Though he might be one of the Kateenians my Meowmaids have been capturing. They may be small, but they’re such fassscinating creatures! I just have to catch some while looking for Shrink Wisps!”

_“Yes, well anyway, if they come to your base, they’ll no doubt find your Star Piece.”_

_“You do have a plan for getting rid of them, don’t you?”_ Purple asked.

“Nerrr her her her. Super geniuses like me always have a plan! And it’s hi-technicaaaal!”

 _“Well, on another note, what are you doing with the Shrink Wisps in the meantime?”_ Red asked.

“I’m using them to power my Meowbots. Seemed more convenient than locking them in jars.”

_“Well, as long as they don’t get away, then it’s fine. Right now, just focus on destroying those GKND.”_

_“A juicy reward awaits if you do!”_ Purple exclaimed.

 _“Almighty Tallest OUT.”_ With that, the screen shut off.

Francis then looked at his watch and said, “Neerrrr. I still have plenty of time before _Power Rangers_ comes on. I think I’ll go catch some more Kateenians.” With that, he exited his room.

**Planet Kateenia**

The team of four soon landed on Kateenia’s surface. The mariachi band was sitting on another rock, playing their music. “Ah, Planet Kateenia. Home to the Kateenians, the smallest intelligent life forms in the universe. It is on this strange little planet that our bald hero will encounter a little problem that will most certainly lead to his unfortunate end.”

As the team stepped out of their ships, Dib couldn’t help but wonder, “How do those guys get around, anyway?”

The rest shrugged and looked around the surrounding area. They landed close to what appeared to be a vast mountainous region. The landscape was colored a tannish-yellow, and the sky was yellow with white clouds. It certainly was an odd color to the eyes. “So, what are the people of this planet like?” Nigel wondered.

“I’ve never quite been here before,” Ava replied, “but the people here are supposed to be little. I mean REALLY little.”

“In that case, better watcheth where thy feet moves. Thankfully, I hath none.” Luvbi said.

“Okay, first things first:” began Nigel, “we need to find this base and see what’s up. Let’s move.” With that, they proceeded forward. (Play the “Sweet Mountain” theme from _Sonic Colors_.)

_Stage 8: Kateenia Canyon_

_Mission: Cross the vast mountains._

The GKND ops began their trek down a hillside, which led to a long, snaky path over a chasm. Across the chasm was what appeared to be an Irken fort, with a towering metal wall, and two giant turrets on the sides of it. In the distance, they could see a squad of SIR Units fly out toward them. The agile robots flew around in midair as they launched quick missiles. The kids were able to dodge, but it was a little tricky due to the small foothold. When Dib dodged, he was nearly blown over the edge, but Luvbi was able to fly behind and blow him back on.

Ava and Nigel tossed their swords and N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to knock the robots out of the air, but that’s when some Irken ships sped out of the base and launched missiles at the path, making the road ahead collapse. Luvbi flew over the chasm and spun a whirlwind so that the three could jump across, the wind blowing them onto the next part of the path. In the distance, they could see the base’s turrets activating. Beneath their feet were blinking target markers, indicating where their missiles would land, so they had to jump off of the markers beforehand.

As they ran ahead, the missiles were coming faster and getting harder to dodge. Luvbi was using her wind gusts to blow the projectiles to the side, but she was losing her steam. Nigel stayed behind Luvbi as he extracted his V.I.S.S.I.L.E., launching the missile and driving it toward the fortress. He rammed it into the right turret and was able to blow it up. He had Luvbi keep defending them so he could launch a missile into the left turret, destroying it as well. The rest of the way across the road was easygoing, but when they neared the base, a Hunter Destroyer mech charged toward them. There was no room to go around it, so Nigel quickly launched a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. to get the first strike, but it continued toward them. The robot began to launch quick missiles, so they all had to dodge as Dib ran forward and tried to beat the mech with his mech-arms. As he damaged the robot’s right leg, Ava swung her swords into its left, eventually doing enough damage to make it tumble.

They reached the massive fort, but there was no way past the great metal wall just yet. On the left side of the fortress appeared to be a metal walkway, fit for Nigel’s M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S., so the bald Brit walked up the side of the fortress, joined by Luvbi who floated up there, leaving Dib and Ava to themselves. When Nigel and Luvbi reached the top of the wall, they looked in the fort’s yard and saw Irken trucks entering garages, holding big, glass containers that contained very tiny, yellow alien kids with pointy heads, which Nigel believed were the Kateenians.

“Can you believe these Kateenians have their own Kids Next Door?” an Irken guard, standing below where Nigel and Luvbi were, asked a second guard. “We can kill ‘em with bug spray.”

“I dunno. I heard this race was one of the strongest in the universe. I can see why.”

“Why? They start a great war or somethin’?”

“I dunno. But they do make good eatin’.”

“What? You _eat_ them?”

“Why do you think we’re catching them?”

“I dunno. Same reason we catch any kid?”

“We catch kids to serve adults, right? Well, they’ll be serving us by filling our bellies.”

“…Wait, wouldn’t the pun be that _we_ are serving _them_?”

“Er; no! No! It’s not that, it’s-“ Nigel jumped down from his place and smashed the Irken’s head. Before the other could react, Luvbi shot down and air-blasted him right over the wall, where he fell beside Ava and Dib. The alarms sounded as all soldiers turned their sights on the duo. Nigel avoided them at the moment and charged after the row of trucks holding the Kateenian kids. He launched bombs from his B.O.O.M.E.R. at the glass containers and shattered them, the hundreds of Kateenian children falling to the ground.

“Woohoo! The giant saved us!” a Kateenian boy exclaimed as the many kids gave tiny, squeaky cheers.

“Hey, Mister! Can we play Frisbee on your giant bald head?” a little girl asked.

“Just get out of here, kids; we’ll handle things here.” Nigel ordered. The swarms of Kateenian hurried in the opposite direction of the wall, but screamed in fright when a few Megadoomer mechs stomped in their way, the robots looking hundreds of feet tall to the tiny aliens. The first Megadoomer was about to squish a bunch, but Nigel quickly threw a grenade at its foot and knocked it down. “Luvbi, hurry up and find a switch to open that wall so Ava and Dib can get in!” Nigel yelled.

“Careful, or thine barking orders may harm the teeny aliens’ ears.” Luvbi remarked before flying into a small building that was connected with the huge wall. There were several Irken guards with shock rods standing guard around a large wheel on the floor. The Irkens leapt at her, but Luvbi blew them in between the handles of the huge wheel before sucking in some air, and blowing a powerful blast at the wheel, making it spin at a high speed.

Outside, the massive metal wall opened downward like a door, and Ava and Dib charged in to start attacking the Irkens. They saw Nigel in a battle with some Megadoomers and hurried over to join him. “Watch where you step, guys; these are the Kateenians.” He cautioned.

“Aww, look how cute they are! I wanna take one home!” Ava smiled.

“Me too! These’re the kind I’d like to study!” Dib said.

“We’re supposed to be SAVING them! From being dinner, most likely!” Nigel yelled.

“They’re edible?” Ava asked. “I’m hungry.”

“Ava!”

“I’m kidding!” With that, Ava jumped onto one of the Megadoomers and slipped into the cockpit, knocking out the Irken inside. She took control and blasted the other Megadoomer, then faced what looked to be the other entrance to this place. She smirked and launched a missile to blow a hole in the entrance, and the Kateenians immediately scampered in that direction. “Can I at least TASTE one of you guys?” Ava called.

“Just find a Kateenian bug or something and eat that.” Nigel remarked.

“A Kateenian bug? Wouldn’t those be, like, near amoeba size?”

The four kids escorted the Kateenians to the exit, where they then followed a tiny opening in the cliffside wall, safely getting away. Afterwards, the operatives followed a new path, a cliffside path that led downward along a mountain slope. At the end of the path was another GKND weapons stand, in which Numbuh 20x40’s hologram made itself known. _“Taday’s special weapon, an all new C.A.T.I.F.I.E.R.! Why waste ammo on the small fry when ya can make cute li’l Eartican kittens outta them and have some fun! ‘Course, in this particular environment, ya might want ta keep them away from the locals, otherwise these baddies will become a whole new type of deadly! That’s 4,500 Bolts for a new C.A.T.I.F.I.E.R..”_

Nigel held his Infi-Cube under the scanner and allowed him to take the Bolts. He was given a strange-looking ray gun that was designed like a cat’s head on the tip.

**Galactic Kids Next Door: C.A.T.I.F.I.E.R.  
Causes All Targets Immediate Felinization Imminently Ensuring Recognition**

They arrived at an open area on the base of the mountain, where an Irken drill was trying to dig a tunnel into the side of the mountain. Nigel tossed his B.O.O.M.E.R.s to blow up the drill, and when the Irken fell out, he used the C.A.T.F.I.E.R. to turn him into a harmless kitten. A Yellow Drill Wisp also came out of the drill, and Nigel absorbed to spin into his drill form. “DRILL!” With this, he easily burrowed his way through the rest of the would-be tunnel, creating a path for his friends to pass through the mountain. They came to another open area, where, oddly enough, strange, small clockwork cat robots were roaming about, scanning the area.

“Master Francis requests 20 more Shrink Wisps before _Power Rangers_ , meow!” one of them said in a cat voice.

“Intruders have appeared. Subjects marked as GKND operatives. Master Francis orders them to be terminated. He also would like us to remember how schweeeeet _Terminator_ was. Meow!”

With that, the mini cat bots made little alarms as they charged at the operatives. Nigel blasted them with C.A.T.I.F.I.E.R.’s ray and, ironically enough, turned them into cats. A larger Meowbot then dropped into the area, twice their height, and started launching mini Meowbombs at them from a cannon in its mouth. The robot was too big for the C.A.T.I.F.I.E.R. to affect, and its armor seemed to be impervious to their other weapons, too. However, Luvbi noticed how it had to open its mouth to shoot the Meowbombs out, and when it fired the next one, the Nimbi child blew the Meowbomb back in and blew the larger robot up.

A Rocket Wisp was released and flew into Nigel’s body. They saw there wasn’t any way out of that enclosed area except upwards, and when they looked up, they saw several more Meowbots floating around with rockets on the bottom. “I don’t suppose I’m invincible in my rocket form?” Nigel asked.

“I think you’re just as vulnerable in your Color Forms,” Ava answered, “except for the parts that’re meant to be deadly, like Drill Wisp. So stuff like flames could hurt you in rocket.”

“Sigh. Alright, better hang on. ROCKET!” The three of them held onto Nigel as he morphed into an orange rocket and shot straight up the mountain, narrowly avoiding the rocket Meowbots. He reverted to normal as they all landed at the top, then began to take the rocky pathway downward.

Flying Meowbots came up at them and blasted small missiles, but Luvbi took care of them easily by blasting them away with a gust. Down below, they could see the path was leading them down into a trench, and on the sides of the trench, Irken tanks launched missiles straight at the team of four. The kids hurried down the mountain slope as Nigel threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to blow the missiles up. A swarm of missiles was locked dead on them, too many for Nigel to slice, and when Luvbi saw them coming, the angel child blasted a gust of wind and sent the three rolling down the mountain, the angel dodging the missiles and flying after them as they entered the trench.

There was barely anywhere to walk within the trench except for a few narrow, crumbly pathways, the rest of the trench was a deep chasm of sharp stalagmites. SIRbots were sent down there and they began using missiles to blow up parts of the walkways, so Ava threw her swords at them to slice their heads off, the operatives having to quickly hurry across. They reached a safe foothold along the left wall and saw a foothold along the right wall, but a gap divided the two footholds. Nigel held onto Ava and latched the above wall with the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to pull them across, while Luvbi got behind Dib and blasted him across with an air blast, smashing the bigheaded boy against the wall.

Luvbi simply flew over on her own as the other three now had to make tricky jumps over unstable platforms, which rested on tall, skinny stalagmites and fell down whenever they set foot. One of the platforms was already gone, leaving the pointy stalagmite, so Luvbi blew a whirlwind around it for them to jump into and get an extra boost.

Along the right side of the trench, the mariachi band was mindlessly playing their music, standing on a small ledge. “Have you ever noticed, compadres, one would believe the inside of the trench to be dangerous. But it is actually the top of the trench that is dangerous, and the inside is perfectly-“ a SIRbot shot a missile below their stand and caused them to fall to the stalagmites, where the tips of the pointy rocks pierced their bottoms and sent them flying. _“Yooooooowww!”_

The kids were able to reach the safe foothold as Nigel tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s at the attacking SIRbots. One of the SIRbots had cyan eyes, and as expected, it released a Cyan Wisp when Nigel destroyed it. He wanted to launch off, but he didn’t really see anyway to go from that ledge. The only thing ahead of them were parts of both canyon walls that stuck out and connected, blocking the way.

Dib was currently scanning these walls, and he reported, “These walls are crumbled. I bet a Golf Bomb would do the trick!” With that, the bigheaded human took aim with the Golf Bomb and whacked it over, totally destroying the walls blocking their path. They had a clear view of a series of cyan diamonds, the three grabbed onto Nigel as he became a-

“LASER!”, and bounced around the series of diamonds. They took a speedy land at the end of the trench, the other three having become dizzy as a result.

“Prithee, I will never be used to that.” Luvbi moaned. The rest of their way ahead appeared to be a clear, rocky field, free of any hazards it seemed. They pressed on as their search for the Star continued. (End song.)

“Seriously, why don’t we ever park close to where we need to be?” Dib asked after walking for what felt like hours.

“Mayhap so we alarm not the residents.” Replied Luvbi.

“Plus there’s not much sense of adventure doing it the easy way.” Said Ava.

“Yeah. I guess.”

After a few minutes of more walking, Nigel noticed something ahead. “Hey, what’s that?” They looked ahead to see a group of Meowbots carrying jars of Kateenian children.

“There’re more Kateenians.” Dib pointed out.

“Who do those cats work for anyway?” Ava asked.

“We’ll ask after we help those kids. Galactic Kids Next Door: Battle stations!” With that, the team of four charged to the Meowbots.

“Good day, kitten freaks.” Luvbi said, getting their attention. “How wouldst thou like to see a gesture that will bloweth thee away?” With that, Luvbi shot a blast of wind at the robots and blew away the jars of Kateenians. The jars hit the ground, causing them to shatter. The tiny aliens ran away shortly after.

“Quick. Get those aliens, meow.” Said one of the robots.

“I don’t think so!” Dib shouted as he ran to the Meowbots going after the aliens and destroyed them with his mech arms. Some of the larger robots opened their mouths to reveal cannons, which began shooting at the heroes.

Luvbi dodged a few cannonballs swiftly before blowing one of the balls back in the direction of the robot. The robot’s cannon was clogged, causing it to explode. “Quick. Back to the fortress. Meow.” One of the robots said before they all took off.

“Well, that was easy.” Ava said, sheathing her swords.

Nigel looked over to where the robot exploded and noticed something pink coming out from the smoke. It was a pink Wisp, but a brighter pink than the spike ones. It had one eye, a round head, and it looked smaller than an inch. “Look! It’s a Wisp!” Nigel pointed.

“That’s strange. I’ve never seen a Wisp like that one before.” Said Ava.

“Me wonders what it dost?” said Luvbi.

The Wisp then flew over to Nigel and shot up his nose. “Whoa! Here we go!” he exclaimed as his body glowed bright pink and he felt the Color Power acting on him. After the light faded, he opened his eyes and examined his body to see what happened. So far, nothing. “Hmm. That was strange. I wonder what-“ he said as he took a few steps back, but walked into a strange, black wall.

He looked up to see a giant, white foot above the wall, and realized that the wall was actually Ava’s sandal. He was totally shocked when he saw Ava, Luvbi, and Dib towering over and looking down at him with confused expressions. “WHOA! How did you three get so big all of a sudden?!”

“Uhhh, hate to break this to you, but we’ve been our normal sizes as long as we can remember.” Dib said, his voice echoing.

“It would seem that yonder Wisp thou absorbed shrinketh thee down to bug size.” Luvbi guessed.

Nigel looked around to see the area they were in was A LOT bigger. “Wait. I’m small?”

“Awe, look how CUTE you are! You’re so tiny!” Ava squealed, getting a look of annoyance from Nigel.

At his size, his friends' voices seemed to echo for miles when it was probably just a few feet. “Well, this is officially the most useless Wisp ever. How am I supposed to do anything at this size?”

“Methinks thou wouldst make a good house pet. Ha HA!” Luvbi joked.

“I’m on board with that! Can I put you in a jar and make you my pet human?” Ava giggled.

“Stop it, guys! I already feel powerless at this size!” the small Brit replied. He was actually a little afraid at seeing his friends so big. Not that he thought they’d do anything to hurt him, it was the idea of being that small. He looked about as big as Ava’s toes.

“Well, the Wisp should wear off pretty soon.” Dib said. “I mean, they all do eventually, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. But in the meantime, I better stay out of action. Ava, you think you can-“ but before he could finish, he was snatched away by a long, sticky tongue from an unknown origin.

“Hey, where’d he go?” Ava asked, looking around.

“Neeerrrr. I caught a grey-skinned, football-headed Kateenian.” Said an unknown nasally voice. Before the team’s eyes, the nerdy chameleon, Francis, appeared out of nowhere. “My two friends, Nick and Zach, are gonna freak when they get word of this find!”

“Hey! That was our friend you captured!” exclaimed Dib as they readied for battle.

“Neeerrrr! You’re the ones the Almighty Tallest warned me about!”

“Thou hearest that? A companion of the Tallest be a foe of us. Now, cougheth up our friend!” Luvbi demanded.

“Neerrrr. I’d love to stay and fight, but I must return to base. I can’t miss this week’s episode of _Power Rangers Samurai_. No way am I going to trust my Recordomeow to tape an episode so epic!” With that, he disappeared.

Ava tried striking the spot where he stood, but she hit nothing but ground. “Crud! We have to go after them!”

“Sorry. Your friend’s long gone now. Now that that freak, Francis, got him.” The team looked around to see where the squeaky voice came from.

“Who speaks?” Luvbi asked.

“Down here.” The team looked to see a little tiny Kateenian girl standing behind a pebble.

“Awe, hello there, little girl!” Ava greeted with a look of glee, getting on her knees to have a better look.

“Do you know something about that guy?” Dib asked.

The girl nodded. “That was Francis. He’s the geek to end all geeks. The Irkens built a base here recently and he moved in. Ever since, he’s been catching Shrink Wisps and us Kateenians and doing who-knows-what with them. He’s a major fanboy. Whatever he takes, there’s no getting it back. So, you giants can kiss your little friend good-bye.”

“That’s not good enough to scare us off.” Ava replied. “Anyone who takes our friend like some collectible is just begging for a bruising! Where does this geek live?”

“He lives in the castle just up ahead.” The girl answered, pointing to a castle in the distance.

“Come on! Let’s go knock his braces off!” Dib exclaimed.

“And let us hurry, for at his height, he is another bug waiting to be squished.” Luvbi replied. With that, the team trekked forward to Francis’ castle, with the mariachi band playing their music on a rock.

“And so, the brave heroes moved forward to Fort Francis in a desperate attempt to rescue their friend. Little did they know that all their efforts would be in vain. But at any rate… we need medicine for our bottoms.” The owls moaned as they all rubbed their sore behinds.

Fort Francis

Francis had made it back to his castle, where he entered a room with a small cage inside it. He stuck his tongue, holding the shrunken Numbuh 1, inside the cage and released him, closing the cage up afterward. “Neeerrrr! I have to get a picture of this, now!” he said as he drew out a rather large camera.

Numbuh 1, angered and covered in saliva, stood up, turned to him and said, “Alright, listen you! Just who do you think you-“ he tried to finish, but- “YOW!” screamed in pain when the enormous camera flashed, making his tiny and sensitive eyes dizzy.

Francis then lowered his camera and got a better look at the human. “W-Wait a minute. You’re not a Kateenian. You’re…” Francis gasped, “You’re Numbuh 1! Former leader of Sector V and Earth representative of the GKND!”

At this point, Numbuh 1’s dizziness had worn off. He looked to Francis and said, “Wait, how do know about-“ but before he could finish, he was blinded by another camera flash.

“This is so hi-technicaaaal! I never in all my life thought I’d actually meet someone from Sector V! Although, I expected you to be a bit… taller.”

“How do you know about Sector V, anyway?”

“Neeerrrr. Are you kidding? _Codename: Kids Next Door_ is probably, like, the schweeeetest show ever! I watch it whenever it’s on! For a cartoon, it has the most incredible graphics! Not like other shows, like _Spongebob_ or _Billy and Mandy_ , where the background clearly looks like it was hand drawn. Not to mention, the characters of your show have 10 fingers, while in most cartoons, the characters have 8 fingers. My friend, Nick, watches it, too, but he doesn’t appreciate it like me, yet for some reason-”

Nigel was getting annoyed. “Are you going anywhere with this?”

“Oh, oh, right, right. Anyway, since you’re here, I need to ask you a few things. First of all, who do you think looks hotter in a vacation outfit: Numbuh 10 or Numbuh 362? I have pictures of them just in case.” He pulled out two posters of Numbuhs 10 and 362, wearing their vacation outfits. “I would’ve had pictures of them wearing bathing suits, but they never really wore any throughout the series, so this was the best I could get.”

“What kind of question is that?!”

“Oh, come on! You can’t look at them like this and not think they’re hot!”

“Ugh, fine! Numbuh 362.”

“Neeerrrr! I know, isn’t she? I guess all the girls have that quality! By the way, in Numbuh 362’s full name, Rachel T. McKenzie, I’ve always wondered, what does the T stand for?”

“I don’t know, now let me out of this cage!”

“I can’t let you out, yet! I have so many more questions!”

“If I answer your questions, then will you let me out?”

“Uhhh, no. As it turns out, you’re on the Tallests’ most wanted list. I’ll ask you the questions, then I’ll turn you over to them.”

“Why are you working for the Tallest, anyway?”

“Well, they gave me this base for catching some Shrink Wisps for them. And they said that if I catch you and turn you over, they’ll give me the latest Pokémon cards! Plus new ones that haven’t even been released yet!”

“You’re going to hand me over for some nerdy trading cards?”

“It’s NOT nerdy! It’s a strategy based game, thank you very much. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go watch _Power Rangers Samurai_. This episode’s going so schweeeet!” With that, he left the room, leaving Numbuh 1 in his tiny cage.

“Well, hasn’t this day been perfect?” he said to himself sarcastically. “We come down to a simple planet to rescue some operative, and I get shrunk down to bug size and get captured by the king of nerds! Well, better him than Harvey.” He shivered from the thought.

“Well, someone’s in a bad mood!”

Nigel looked around to see where the voice came from. “Who’s there?”

“Up here!” he looked up on a high shelf to see a Kateenian boy, who hopped down some pictures stuck to the wall until he was down to where Nigel was. He wore a red jumpsuit with a black belt, black rubber gloves and black boots.

“So, Francis’s latest catch, huh?”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Kweeb, Kateenia representative of the GKND. Don’tchu read the infoboxes? I’m Numbuh 1-Inch. And apparently, so are you!”

“So, you’re the one that was sent down here to check out the castle. I’m Numbuh 1, GKND Earth representative. My name is Nigel Uno.”

“Oh yeah! You’re the new operative from Planet Earth! But I could’ve sworn you were… taller.”

Numbuh 1 sighed. “I WAS taller, but I absorbed a stupid Shrink Wisp and it shrunk me down to this size! But it should wear off pretty soon.”

“Oh, bad news there.”

Nigel looked worried. “What do you mean?”

“You see, there’s a reason why Color Powers are so limited. Peoples’ bodies are so cramped for those Wisps, they can hardly stay in them for long. The Shrink Wisps are another story. They’re already so tiny, when they enter your large bodies, they get so comfortable so quick, they almost never wanna leave!”

“You mean I’m stuck like this?!”

“Unless that Shrink Wisp gets bored of it in there, yeah.”

“But if I’m small, shouldn’t my body be too cramped for him now?”

“My guess would be that the Shrink Wisp shrinks WITH the body.”

“I can’t be stuck like this forever!”

“And what’s so bad about being 1 inch tall? We Kateenians have been like this our whole lives, and we aren’t complaining.”

“Well, maybe because everything here is fit enough for their small sizes. I bet most Kateenians don’t even know they’re really tiny.”

“Probably, but I’ve been serving in GKND for nearly 50 years, and I’m pretty used to it, despite being this small. True, I probably could’ve wish for Jirachi to make me bigger, but on my planet, we believe that strength isn’t determined by size!”

“Well even if that’s true, I much prefer my normal size over this. Isn’t there any way to get this Shrink Wisp to leave?”

“Well, the only other way for a Wisp to leave your body would be for you to absorb another Wisp.”

“Is it even possible for me to absorb another Wisp at this height?”

“Anything’s possible. I mean, I served in GKND 50 years without being crushed!”

“Well, where can I find a different Wisp here?”

“I’ll tell you a little secret. Something even Francis doesn’t know: there’s another type of rare Wisp here besides the shrink ones. There are actually Clear Wisps here, too; Wisps that turn you invisible. Since they’re clear, they’re harder to see than shrink Wisps. But they’re both good for being sneaky.”

“So, we find one of those Clear Wisps, and I absorb it and return to normal size?”

“Yep.”

“But how do we get out of here?”

“Leave that to me!” With that, he went around to the front of the cage, pulled out a ray gun and fired it at the lock destroying it. “There! Free as a bird!”

“Where to now?”

“I think I saw a few Clear Wisps in one of the upper rooms. But first, we have to find my ship. It was taken from me when I was captured. (But I did escape, of course.) Let’s go up here.” With that, the tiny two hopped their way up the hanging pictures of Kateenians. They got to the shelf Kweeb was on earlier and saw a hole in the wall their size. “We’ll use this hole to get out of this room. Let’s go.”

Before they could enter, they gasped when they heard the doors to the room begin to open. “Neeerrrr. I forgot my notepad.”

“Hurry!” Kweeb exclaimed as they ran in the hole.

Francis came shortly after. “Ah, here it is!” he said as he walked over and picked up his notepad. He then turned to look at the cage where Nigel was locked and gasped. “Oh no! H-How did he escape? Oh, the Tallest are going to kill me when they find out I let him escape!... Huh?” He looked up to the shelf and noticed the whole in the wall. He opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a stethoscope.

He pressed the stethoscope to the wall to listen for where they are. _“Wow, this place is pretty narrow, huh?”_ He heard a voice say that sounded like Nigel’s.

Francis then whistled, and a Meowbot with hammer hands came into the room. “What is it, Master Francis? Meow.”

“We have a couple of pests in the walls. Right there!” he pointed to a spot in the wall. The robot then readied its hammer and destroyed that part of the wall.

The tiny operatives screamed at the impact. It nearly missed them by an inch (to them). “Keep going! But stay quiet.” Kweeb whispered as they moved slightly faster.

Francis listened for them again. “There.” He pointed as the robot smashed the wall, missing them slightly. “There.” He repeated as the robot sent another strike. “There.” The robot struck again.

The two operatives moved a little more, but stopped when Kweeb whispered, _“If we’re still, he may leave.”_ The two stood their spots, trying to be as quiet as a mouse.

Francis listened hard for them and smiled when he heard a slight breath. _“There.”_ He whispered to his robot. The robot then struck the spot where he pointed and successfully hit the operatives. Kweeb fell down a hole that was left in the foothold by the impact and was holding on to Nigel’s hand.

“Neeerrrr! There you are!” Francis was about to grab them when Kweeb used his free hand to pull out his ray gun and shot the Meowbot, burning a hole through it. The robot then began to crackle and spark and eventually explode on Francis.

While Francis was recovering from the blast, Nigel helped Kweeb up and the two continued down the small secret passage.

Francis removed his soot covered glasses and coughed out soot. “Medics!” he said before fainting.

Nigel started to catch his breath when they got far enough away. “Impressive weapon.”

“Hehe. Like it? It’s my Tri-gun. Well, I want it to be… so far, I’ve designed it to shoot and stun, but I wanna install a shrinking function.”

“Do I need to shrink any more?” Nigel retorted.

“Hehe. I don’t actually need to shrink enemies, but sometimes, it’s handy. For gettin’ back at those bullies who like to step all over you.”

“Ironically, I had to defend a friend of mine back in kindergarten because he was too short. Seeing me like this will make his day.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you get used to it. Now, come on. We’ll take the underground sewer area.” With that, Kweeb climbed first down a ladder of nails into a dungeon of darkness, and Nigel worriedly followed after him. (Play the “Blarg Space Station” theme from _Ratchet & Clank_.)

 

_Stage 9: Forbidden Sewers_

_Mission: Make your way through the sewers._

“Numbuh One of Planet Earth, as Kateenian representative of the Galactic Kids Next Door, it’s my greatest pleasure to welcome you to the universe through a Kateenian’s eyes.” Kweeb announced as the two came out of a hole by the ceiling in an underground room with sewer pipes. The room would feel cramped to a regular-sized person, but it was huge and vast to their size.

The two climbed down a rocky wall as Nigel spoke, “It really is expansive. When I turned small outside, my friends were ginormous. How does one live like this?”

“Years of practice and adjusting to everyone making fun of you and kicking you around. Let me show you the basics.”

When they reached the ground below, they approached a small, shallow river that looked only 6 inches deep. “I wouldn’t try to swim it.” Kweeb cautioned. “Six inches to a regular-sized person is deep enough to crush our skulls. The water’s too thick for our tiny arms to help us swim.”

“And now I feel more like a little Wally.” Nigel replied, rolling his eyes.

“Hehe! Let’s look around for stuff that might help.” The two walked toward the other side of the cavern and saw an alien-like beetle crawl out of a tiny hole. The beetle was as big as they were as it came to snack on them, but Kweeb simply shot it a few times with his Tri-gun to knock it out. 

The two found a hole in the wall up ahead of them and entered, carefully sneaking through the small cave. The cave path split into two routes, but on the road to their right, there was a giant earthworm that had a mouth with hundreds of teeth, keeping an eye out for some prey. When Kweeb tried to shoot it, it was quick it avoid, and they couldn't get close without it trying to snack on them. "Guess we're not going that way." Kweeb figured as they followed the left route. The duo found a room where four robots, that looked like high-tech W.A.T.C..H.B.O.T.s, were unconscious. "Hey, I know these guys!" Kweeb said as he pulled out a remote. He pushed a button on the remote, and the robots sparked to life. "Check it out, Nigel. These are-"

 

**Galactic Kids Next Door: M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S.  
Microscopic Intelligent Comrades Really Offer Best Efficient Services**

 

"They're robots I build for the GKND for spying missions. Their micro size makes them unspottable. Just like me!"

"Well, can they help?"

"Heck yeah! Watch this!" Kweeb pressed a button that caused the M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. to follow him. They went back into the room with the giant earthworm, and Kweeb commanded the robots to attack. The robots ran around the earthworm to draw its attention away as it tried to eat them, but this allowed Kweeb to shoot the worm with his Tri-gun and wipe it out. They were able to proceed and find another robot, similar to a M.I.C.R.O.B.E., but it was slightly taller and had an axe on one arm.

Kweeb sparked the robot to life and it stood up. "Some of these M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. are designed for other purposes than fighting." Kweeb explained. "This one is able to extend to great heights and chop weaker materials down. Could come in handy." They led the robots out of the small cave and were headed back into the open sewer area, towards the shallow-but-still-deep river. They noticed a single leaf growing from the cracked wall up above, and Kweeb had the Extendo M.I.C.R.O.B.E. stretch up and chop the leaf from its stem. The leaf drifted down on the edge of the river, and was as big as a boat to the little operatives.

"How can a simple leaf grow in this damp dungeon to begin with?" Nigel asked.

"Maybe the Florans used to live here?" Kweeb said.

The operatives and robots boarded the leaf boat and safely floated across the river. The tiny team hurried around a corner in the massive cave and soon came to a small trench. Of course, a normal-sized person could easily step over it, but, as always…

“I bet one of my Bridger M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. is on the other side somewhere.” Kweeb said. “You have M.A.G.N.E.B.O.O.T.S., don’t you? You ‘em to get over that metal pipe. Take my remote.”

Nigel looked and noticed the metal pipe that led up the wall and eventually came down on the other side of the trench. The mini Brit started his trek up the pipe, walking along the side as he passed over the trench. A couple of Cave Critters crawled out of the wall on the side and onto the pipe as they attempted to eat Nigel, but he pulled out his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and kept the bugs away. He eventually reached the other side, where he found a fallen Bridger M.I.C.R.O.B.E. behind a tiny stalagmite. He pushed the remote and turned the robot on. Afterwards, he had the W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.-like creation extend a bridge to connect both sides of the trench, allowing Kweeb and the others to get across.

“But couldn’t we have just used the Extendo one to do that?” Nigel asked.

“Sheesh, Nigel, just because they’re robots, you can’t expect them to do so many things at once. Cut ‘em some slack.”

“Ugh.”

The duo arrived at a small cliff that was too high for their robots to climb. Nigel saw plenty of tiny stalactites cover the ceiling up above, so he decided to fire a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and bomb the ceiling, causing a stalactite to come down, stick in the ground, and topple over, touching the edge of the cliff. This enabled the operatives and the robots to walk up. But once they did, Kweeb immediately saw what was ahead of them. “Wuh-oh, Nigel. There’s a Tetramite hive up ahead.”

“Relax. I’ve dealt with Tetramites before.”

“At this size?”

Nigel gulped. “Not so much…”

“Yeah. They have people like us eaten in a wink. Just stay behind these rocks and try and make our way to that cavern over there.”

In one of the holes on the hive, an eyeball was looking around, searching for prey. They kept watch on the eyeball and quietly crept their way from behind the tiny rocks. At one point, however, the eye spotted them, and a couple of Tetramites charged out to feast. Thankfully, the M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. ran out and drew the Tetramites attention, causing the giant bugs to attack them instead. When they finished chewing away the robots, breaking them into pieces, the Tetramites crawled back into the hive.

“Wow… those robots are noble.”

“Yeah, but they’re quick healers.” Kweeb said as the parts of the robots immediately put themselves back together. “Kateenian technology at its finest!”

The operatives and the robots successfully made it into the small cavern. A few Cave Critters got in their path, but Kweeb sent the M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. to take them out. Above them was a cracked metal pipe where they heard an echo. The source of the echo seemed to come from Francis’s room.

 _“Go-go, Power Rangers!”_ the guitars sounded from the TV. _“Go-go, Power Rangers!”_

 _“Neeerrrr! This show is the greatest in the latest installments of_ Power Rangers _! But I certainly hope crazy fangirls don’t get obsessed over the cheesy pairings again. I mean, what crazy fan would only like a show only for its pairings? Shhooooo not schweeeeeet.”_

The duo reached the end of the passageway and got to an outside area. They appeared to be along one of the outer walls of the castle, and there was a path that led up between the cracked bricks. They followed the way upwards, bringing the robots with them, until they reached a tunnel that led to the pathway above the wall. The two operatives looked up as an Irken child stood in place, his back to them as he held a blaster, his eyes weary.

“And now your next lesson, taking on foes that are much bigger than you.” Kweeb said.

“And I assume you’ll teach me that in a way that doesn’t involve getting squished like a bug.”

“Heheh. We’ll let the M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. demonstrate. Follow me, boys.” Kweeb commanded as he and the robots approached the giant Irken. Nigel watched as they climbed the Irken’s legs, up his skirt, and much to Nigel’s disgust, under his clothing. The Irken dropped his weapon and began dancing around frantically, his body itching from the tiny creatures under his suit. When he bounced around, facing Nigel’s direction, the bald Brit aimed his V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and fired away, blowing up in the Irken’s eye and making him topple over. Afterwards, Nigel watched as Kweeb and the M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. crawled out. “You learn fast, my little Padawan.” Kweeb remarked with a bow.

“I’m still taller than you by a few inches.”

“Centimeters.”

“Whatever. Let’s keep up that pace.”

Other Irken soldiers were on patrol on that wall as the tiny duo pressed forward. Once again, Kweeb sent the M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. up the skirts of the patrolling aliens while he and Nigel shot them while they were distracted from the itching. After taking out a couple soldiers, they found another M.I.C.R.O.B.E. unconscious on the ground, and was designed with some kind of megaphone on its head. Kweeb activated the new M.I.C.R.O.B.E. and said, “This one’s the Soundwave Emitter M.I.C.R.O.B.E.. It sends out a soundwave that only targeted beings can hear. Watch.” With that, he made the robot face upward and look at a winged Meowbot flying overhead. The robot sent out a soundwave signal that caught the Meowbot’s attention, and it immediately flew down.

The operatives hid behind a pebble as the Meowbot landed, searching around for the source of the signal. The operatives and robots quickly hurried from behind and climbed up its back. They were safely on its head as the Meowbot took to the air again, flying toward an open window of the castle. The Meowbot got close enough as it turned and prepared to fly back, but the kids quickly jumped off onto the top of the windowsill. They walked to the side of the sill and carefully made their way down the cracked end of it. They reached the bottom of the open window and walked inside, dropping down onto the floor below. They heard the echoing creak of a door opening at one end of the hall and looked in worry as Francis appeared.

“Neeerrrr. Those Power Rangers sure can be crazy. But I had better begin looking for those kids again before the Tallest call back. Hound-Meow: begin searching.” As he spoke, a Meowbot with a hound-nose, attached to a leash by Francis, began sniffing around the floor, 

“Uh-oh. I don’t think we’re small enough to hide from that cat’s senses.” Nigel said worriedly.

Kweeb sighed, “Sorry, M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S.. It’s time to part ways. Take care, guys.” The robots saluted as they all charged toward Francis’s direction.

The giant nerd took notice of the microscopic robots immediately, sporting a wide grin. “Neeerrrr! Microscopic nanodroids! I mean, ‘nano’ is the same thing as ‘micro’, but MY, what a fascinating f-i-i-ind! I must take these robots to study them!” With that, he caught each of the little robots in his tongue. “Come on, Roaster.” The nerd tugged on the Hound-Meow’s leash and made it come along, despite that the Meowbot was struggling and trying to point Francis in the direction of the shrunken operatives.

“Those are some robots.” Nigel said as they watched the nerd leave.

“Sure are. Quick, let’s hitch a ride on this Meowmaid.” Kweeb instructed as he noticed the patrolling robot. He and Nigel hurried over as Nigel fired his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H., grabbing Kweeb and pulling them up onto the robot’s head, undetected.”

 

**Well, there you go. Our new partner, Kweeb. Kweeb does, in fact, belong to me. The scene where Nigel and Kweeb are making their way through the wall is similar to the scene from _The Borrowers_. Francis and his Meowbots are from _Super Paper Mario_ , and will hopefully be the last _Paper Mario_ characters. I came up with Planet Kateenia, but the aliens are the same ones from _Krypto, the Superdog_. I also own the Shrink Wisp. I couldn’t think of a better fitting color, so I just made it a brighter pink. Until the morrow. Ciao.**


	15. The Nerd King’s Wrath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel's friends infiltrate Fort Francis to rescue him. Afterwards, it's payback time!

**Alright, let’s get this over with.**

**_Chapter 15: The Nerd King’s Wrath_ **

**Outside Fort Francis**

After the long walk, the trio of Ava, Luvbi, and Dib had made it to Francis’ fortress. “So, this is Fort Francis.” Dib said as they looked up at the imposing base. “Boy, for a nerdy guy who probably lives with his mom, this place doesn’t look half bad.”

“He is referred not as the king among nerds for nothing.” Luvbi replied.

“Come on! We have to help Nigel.” Ava reminded them.

“Okay! Let’s crash this dork’s party!” Dib exclaimed as he walked toward the door to the castle. As he was about to open it, a giant, mechanical eye came out from above the door and looked down at Dib.

 _“Halt.”_ The eye said in a computer voice. _“Only Master Francis and totally hot babes are allowed to enter.”_

“What?” Dib asked confused.

 _“Must run a scan to confirm your identity.”_ With that, the eye began to scan Dib’s body. _“Subject identified as: a baby hippo in glasses.”_

Ava and Luvbi giggled at this. “Now, hold on a second!” Dib exclaimed. “I am not a-”

 _“You are not Master Francis or a totally hot babe. Deploy deadly kitty lasers.”_ With that, a dozen lasers came out from around the eye and aimed at Dib.

“Uh, could I just-” Dib try to say, but was interrupted when the lasers fired, causing him great pain. The zapping lasted for about ten seconds and his skeleton could be seen the entire time. Finally, it stopped, leaving a roasted Dib.

“That didst not go as planned.” Luvbi said.

Dib coughed. “Well, how are we supposed to get by this?”

Ava thought for a moment. “Step aside, Dib. I’ll get us in.” With that, Dib moved to the side as Ava approached the door. Luvbi blew a gust of wind at Dib, blowing off his soot, as Ava said, “Hey, door guy! Looking for a hot babe? Well, here ya go!”

The eye then began scanning Ava. _“Subject identified as: a young, Glomourian girl. Hot babe detected! You may enter.”_ With that, the front doors opened.

“Easy as that. Now, let’s go help our friend!” Ava said victoriously as the three headed on in.

 _“Oh, one more thing.”_ The eye said as a mechanical leg lowered down to Dib and kicked him for no reason. _“HA! That never gets old!”_ (Play the “Fort Francis” theme from _Super Paper Mario_.)

 

_Dungeon 4: Fort Francis_

_Mission: Rescue Nigel and defeat Francis._

The three entered what appeared to be the castle’s foyer, where a few Meowmaids were mindlessly walking around. “This guy must really be into cats.” Dib commented. Ava looked at the M.A.P. and saw the two doors at the top of the foyer stairs were locked. They entered a room on the left side of the room first, and found their selves in the kitchen. There, a group of Meowbots were each doing chores, such as washing dishes or preparing dinner. They saw that on one of the shelves, groups of tiny Kateenian children were trapped helplessly inside jars.

“Master Francis demands his special Kateenian stew be ready in time for presenting Nigel Uno to the Tallest. Meow.” One said.

Angered, Ava zipped over and beheaded the robot who said that. The other Meowbots went crazy as a result, either throwing dishes rapidly or squirting out soup (depending on their job). The operatives started fighting back at the angered Meowmaids, who didn’t put up too much of a fight as Dib teared them to pieces with his mech arms. During all the fighting, Luvbi floated up to the Kateenians and blew their jars to the floor, smashing them. Once again, the kids erupted into tiny cheers. “Prithee, just call on me as thine guardian angel.” Luvbi stated proudly.

Subsequently, Ava found a key hanging on the wall, and they returned to the foyer. The other Meowmaids appeared to be giving them no harm, so they decided to leave them alone. They went up the foyer stairs and tried to open the left door, but the key wouldn’t fit. They tried the right door instead, and it worked. Curious about the left door, they went back downstairs and entered the room on the right of the foyer. It was a small, empty room with the other key hanging on the parallel wall. There was also a security camera above it on the ceiling. Dib was about to walk over and grab it, but the camera immediately blasted him, pushing him back. They figured they wouldn’t be grabbing the key that easily.

With that reason, they left it alone for now and entered the right door on the foyer stairs. They were brought to a wide hallway with a red carpet along the middle of the floor, chandeliers on the ceiling, and tables with vases on the side. For a nerd, this guy seemed real classy, it seemed. There were also normal Meowmaids patrolling the hall, and they gave the operatives no harm as they walked by. “Master Francis’ agenda for the week: polish this castle enough so it looks as beautiful as videogame graphics. Meow.”

They entered a door on the right side of the hall and found a smaller hall in which the floor was covered with spikes. Luvbi fell to the floor all of a sudden, and as she suspected, there were chi-block symbols on the walls, preventing her from airbending. With no other way to go across, they returned and continued to pass through the larger hallway. They reached a room that looked like a dead end, but there were a lot of platforms that led upwards. Ava tossed her swords in the wall and used them to bounce to the first one, followed by Dib, while Luvbi floated up. She had to repeat this process for a few other platforms, but one of the platforms was straight across the room from theirs, too far to use the swords. That’s where Luvbi had to make a whirlwind in the middle, giving Ava and Dib an extra boost when they jumped over.

They reached the top of the room, where a Meowcannon guarded a door. The Meowbot did like before a launched mini Meowbombs, which Luvbi blew back into the cannon to blow it up. They entered the door and were brought to a new hallway.

**Meanwhile, with Nigel and Kweeb**

Not long ago, while the others were just infiltrating the castle, Nigel and Kweeb had made it to a hallway inside. The hall was miles wide from their point of view, and the sounds the massive Meowmaids made as they walked were amplified in their ears. “So, do you mind telling me where we’re headed? We won’t be able to make much progress at this size.”

“We’re going to find my hovercraft; he locked it in one of the upper rooms. It should help us move around quicker.”

They ventured across the hall for a few minutes when Nigel brought up a question. “Hey, if this is your home planet, then why did Dimentia let you come here?”

“Well, since I’ve been working in GKND for 50 years, all my old friends are probably decommissioned by now. Since no one here remembers me, Dimentia thought it was safe for me to come here.”

“If that’s the case, then she probably won’t let me come back to Earth until all my friends are decommissioned.” Nigel replied in a sad tone.

“Probably. You sound like you really miss them.”

“Well, yeah, I do. But that’s not important right now. Let’s just focus on getting out of here and getting ME back to normal.”

“Alright then. That door should take us up.” Kweeb said as they arrived at a small staircase that led to a door. However, at their sizes, the stairs were much too tall to climb. They saw a Meowmaid approaching and ran toward it, so that Nigel could launch his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. up to the mini maid hat on its head, and pull both of them up. When the Meowmaid bounced up the steps, the operatives were brought with it. The cat robot entered the door, and it so happened to be an elevator. The elevator stopped at a higher floor as it opened, and the two quickly hurried off the Meowmaid.

They wound up on an outside walkway and hurried forward, skidding to a halt before they nearly ran over a ledge. Nigel gulped and saw they were thousands of feet above the ground, a very long drop at their puny sizes. “Uh-oh. They must’ve closed the bridge.” Kweeb figured.

“Well, how are we supposed to get across now?” Nigel asked.

Kweeb then took notice of the floating Airmeows patrolling the area where the bridge used to be. “Looks like we’re crossing with these guys.” With that said, Nigel shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to the foot of the closest Airmeow and pulled them over. When another Airmeow was passing below them, they jumped off onto its head. This process repeated until they were all the way across the chasm, where they crossed the walkway to reach another door. The door was much too big for them to open, but they were small enough to crawl beneath it.

Once on the other side, they saw a Meowmaid with sharp teeth and big, red eyes. Nigel gulped at the sight of it. “That thing sure looks menacing.”

“Don’t worry. This thing’s programmed to guard, not to attack. Just answer a few questions and he’ll let us pass.”

Soon, they reached the huge robot, who quickly detected them, despite their size. “Halt. The room beyond here leads to Master’s collection room. In order to pass, I must see if you are compatible with Master Francis. Answer the following questions.”

“Don’t worry!” Kweeb whispered to Nigel. “After hanging out here awhile, I know a few things Francis knows!”

“First question: what two sites does the author do stuff on?”

“YouTube and FanFiction!” Kweeb quickly answered.

“What does the author do on YouTube?”

“Let’s Plays.”

“What was the author’s first Let’s Play?”

“ _Sonic Nextgen_.”

“What was the author’s latest Let’s Play when he wrote this?”

“ _Rango_.”

“What book was the author reading for English class when he wrote this?”

“ _A Lesson Before Dying_.”

“Last question: what is the author’s favorite Nickelodeon show?”

“ _Avatar: The Last Airbender_.”

After the quiz, the guard jumped up and down slightly. “Identification confirmed. Welcome home Francis. Securimeow missed you.” As if out of nowhere, a door appeared on the wall behind the guard. The two tiny operatives had to walk another long distance before reaching the door.

Soon, they were on the other side and what they saw surprised them. There were Rainbow Monkeys all over the floor, posters of Sectors L, V, W, and Z on the walls, one of Numbuh 362 and tons of dolls along the shelves. “Wow! This must be fanboy heaven!” Nigel exclaimed.

“Look! There’s my hovercraft!” Kweeb said, pointing up to a higher shelf with a ship about their size. Coincidentally, the mariachi band was there, too, standing and playing their music just below the hovercraft’s shelf. The mariachi band was normal sized, so at their sizes, their music was extremely loud.

“This chapter is brought to you by ‘Nerds Who Live With Their Parents’ Monthly. We give our greatest support to nerds who simply cannot bear to leave their parents behind.”

“Well, at any rate… more climbing.” Nigel sighed, simply passing the mariachis off like usual.

“Let’s go.” Kweeb said as they moved through the mountains of Rainbow Monkeys. Nigel was a bit creeped out at seeing so many Rainbow Monkeys this big. They all almost looked like Rainbow Monkey Kong.

The two climbed up one of the Rainbow Monkey piles by a computer desk and made their way up to said desk. The two then looked to the large computer screen and saw a file. “‘Francis’s list of things to buy.’” Nigel read aloud. Feeling curious, the small Brit hopped onto the mouse pad and slid the mouse around with his foot. He was surprised it could actually sense him.

When the mouse was on the file, Kweeb jumped on the clicker to click it. “‘Must buy this month:’”, Nigel read aloud. “‘ _Sonic Colors_ for the Nintendo DS, all three volumes of the _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ series, the latest novel by M.C. Dominique, better known as ‘The Psycho Star’, Fiona’s guide to torturing your least favorite people, the new issue of _Nerds Who Live With Their Mom Magazine_ , the new _Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword_ , the _Power Rangers Samurai_ action figures, and a whole lot more schweeeet stuff.’ Okay, this guy has reached a whole new level of nerdiness.” Nigel said after he finished.

“He isn’t the king for nothing. Now, come on. Let’s get to my ship.” With that, the two made their way up the large shelves of collectibles.

One shelf had figures of the bullies from Bully Island, another had some of the items from the scavenger hunt, including Father’s pipe. _I’ve been wondering where this was._ Nigel thought to himself. Curiosity struck him when he climbed to a shelf with dolls of him and his friends. To his size, the dolls were as big as statues. He wandered to the back to see how many operatives’ statues Francis owns. He stopped when he bumped into a statue of Rachel and stared at it. _Imagine what the real Rachel looks like from this height._ He thought.

Nigel shook this off and tried to stay focus. They were close to the hovercraft, but they had nothing to jump to… except for one of the mariachi owl’s hats. Since they were standing right below the shelf, they served as the perfect platform to reach Kweeb’s hovercraft. It was small and round-shaped, fit for two people, and it was equipped with a few turrets.

“This is your ship?” asked Nigel, not so impressed.

“Hey, it may not look much, but it’s the perfect thing for getting around at this height. This thing can move as fast as a fly. Now, hop in!” With that, Nigel hopped into the small bit of room that was left in the ship. Soon, the ship lifted and took off.

The two zoomed out of a window and soared through the air, entering another window and appearing in the same hall from before.  Their flight came to an end when they crashed into a strange, soft, purple wall. They soon found their selves falling onto a large, white foot. Nigel recovered and looked up, his expression filled with glee when he saw Ava’s face looking down at him. “GUYS!”

Ava, Dib, and Luvbi smiled at seeing their shrunken friend. “Nigel!” Ava exclaimed.

“How did you get here?”

“Uhh, through the door.” Dib remarked. “It was harder than it sounds. You better owe me for this!”

“So… you guys came to save me?”

“Verily.” Luvbi replied. “Didst thou think we would let thee remain as yonder nerd’s plaything?”

Nigel felt touched by this. Even if he couldn’t escape on his own, his friends were already coming to save him. “Wow… that means a lot.”

“Ahh, don’t look so teary, this level’s totally easy.” Ava said.

However, Nigel gave a frown after an unpleasant odor reached his nose. “Gross! What’s that smell?”

Ava chuckled nervously. “That would be my feet…”

Nigel looked down to see they were on her foot. “Ewww! Pick us up, quickly!” Ava did so and reached down to pick up the two operatives and Kweeb’s ship.

Ava held them in her palm as Kweeb was still dizzy from the crash. “Who’s your cute little friend?” Ava asked, smiling.

When Kweeb recovered, he looked up to see Ava’s colossal face. He was completely taken aback by her beauty, her big, purple eyes staring curiously at him.. “Uhhh, hi.” He uttered while blushing.

Ava giggled. “Hello there!”

“I’m Kweeb.”

“Funny name!” she chuckled. “I’m Ava.”

Kweeb stared at her for a few seconds. “You’re really pretty.”

She giggled. “Thanks!”

“Ahem!” Nigel said impatiently. “If you two are done flirting, we have a mission.”

The two blushed. “Right. Sorry.” Ava said as she placed the operatives on both shoulders. She handed the ship to Dib, who examined it before putting it in his pocket. “So, where to now?”

“We have to find a Clear Wisp, so I can absorb it and get this Shrink Wisp out of me.” Nigel explained.

“I’m not sure about them, but there was a room downstairs we couldn’t quite reach.” Ava remembered.

“Good a place as any. Let’s go.” With that, the operatives headed back to the lower hallway. (Pause song.)

**Francis’ Chamber**

Inside Francis’ main room, the super nerd was speaking to the Tallest on his TV. “There were a few mishaps, but everything’s going schweeeet!”

 _“Whatever. Just as long as you still have the Star. And Nigel Uno is still your prisoner, right?”_ Red asked.

“Neeerrrr. He’s as snug as a bug in a cage! And as soon as his friends are no more, I’ll send him your way!”

 _“Okay, but just remember Francis, one of them is-”_ Red started, but was interrupted by a loud voice in Francis’ base.

 _“Francis! Who are you calling at this ungodly hour?!”_ A loud voice in a different room shouted.

“MOM! You’re embarrassing me in front of the Tallest!”

_“Are they your classmates?”_

“No mom, they’re the people who sold us the castle.”

_“Can you ask them how to work this shower?! I can’t configure this confounded thing!”_

“Try turning the knobs counterclockwise, Mom!”

_“Oh. Thank you, Honey!”_

“You’re welcome, Mom!” Francis then turned back to the Tallest, who had confused expressions. He chuckled nervously. “So, you were saying?”

 _“Uhhh, we’ll call you later.”_ Purple said. And with that, the screen shut off.

“Neeerrrr. That was close. I have to come up with something fast, or-“ he was interrupted when he heard a strange knock on the wall. “W-Who’s there?” he asked nervously. He felt something tap him on the back and turned to see nothing there. He was then knocked back as something smacked him. “Neeerrrr. The g-ghosts are back. C-Calm down, Francis. They’ll go away if you j-just pretend they aren’t there. Right now, just focus on defeating the heroes. We have to capture Numbuh One again quick, or I’ll never get those cards! Nerr her her! I have a little surprise for them if they get up here! This is gonna be schweeeet!” (Resume music.)

**Back with the others**

The operatives made their way back to the short hallway with the spike-covered floor. It turned out, there was a mazelike pathway that cut through the spikes, very tiny so that only Nigel and Kweeb could pass through. There was a switch on the wall to deactivate the spikes on the other side, but they were too small to reach it, or press it, so they just crawled under the door to the next room. The room was circular and quite wide, even at a regular person’s height. When Nigel and Kweeb walked forward, they were started when a giant Hammermeow crashed down from the ceiling, much bigger than the one Francis had.

“I don’t suppose you could use that ray gun again?” Nigel asked.

“Ummm… that was my one Sooper Shot. Only has normal settings now.” Kweeb said.

The tiny operatives began running around as the giant Meowbot began trying to smash them with its massive hammers. The floor quaked tremendously at the operatives’ height, making it hard for them to stand. “We have to get behind it and shoot the windup.” Kweeb panted.

“Okay. Try and distract it!” At Nigel’s order, Kweeb began shooting at the giant robot as he ran around the left side, tricking the robot into facing him. Meanwhile, Nigel ran around the right and was able to get behind it. He launched a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. straight at the windup key and seemingly did damage to the robot as the key spun wildly. The Hammermeow released some Meowbombs to go after Nigel, but the Brit tossed B.O.O.M.E.R.s at them and, despite their height, was able to destroy them. He fired another missile at the key and dealt the second hit.

The Hammermeow became angry as its alarm sounded, and it began spinning around wildly, its hammer arms extended as they swiped along the floor, the teeny operatives ducking as low as they could to avoid taking damage. When the robot slowed to a halt, Nigel was still facing its backside, so he fired the last missile and destroyed the windup key, causing the robot to fall apart.

Nothing seemed to happen after that, but Nigel noticed the air above the robot seemed rather wavy. His eyes widened when an eye looked at him from midair, taking notice of the invisible tentacled body. “It’s the Clear Wisp!!”

“Alright! Let’s hope he notices ya!” Kweeb exclaimed.

The invisible Wisp did indeed and shot into Nigel’s tiny body, despite being much bigger. The Shrink Wisp was chased out and Nigel reverted to normal size. “Yyes! Thank Zero I didn’t have to stay a bug forever!”

Kweeb hurried over to the now-gigantic human and said, “Hey, we Kateenians find that offensive.”

“Sorry.” Nigel chuckled, looking down to see how tiny Kweeb really was. “Hehe, you’re kind of cute.”

“Aww, you’re sweet.” Kweeb mocked, giving a fake blush. Nigel gently picked Kweeb up and placed him on his shoulder before walking out of the room. He pressed the button that lowered the spikes so they could walk back to join their friends.

“Hey, you’re big!” Ava smiled.

“I found a Clear Wisp! I’m waiting to use it somewhere.”

“Methinks we shalt guide thee to the lower room.” Luvbi suggested as they made their way downstairs again.

They returned to the flat room with the armed security camera. They immediately figured Nigel’s new power could get through there. “CLOAK!” Right away, Nigel turned completely visible, though his wavy patterns could be seen in the air. Regardless, the camera took no notice of him as Nigel walked over and took the key. The Color Power wore off shortly as they used the key to open the left door on the foyer stairs. They were brought to a similar hallway, in which they appeared behind a small vase pedestal in the center. Beyond the pedestal were many bigger Meowbots, dressed like cops, patrolling the chamber. When the operatives walked out, and the first cop noticed them, their alarms blared as machineguns emerged from each of their mouths, and they began shooting up the hallway with no self-control.

The kids ducked behind the vase stand, and the Patrolmeows looked confused as to where they went, going back to their patrol routine. “Yeah, I shoulda mentioned. You can’t get past those guys once they see you.” Kweeb told them.

They stared at Kweeb with angered looks. “Well, unless the REST of us are able to shrink-“ Nigel began.

“Wait!” Dib spoke up. “There’s something about that chandelier.” He pointed to the chandelier far across the ceiling and so a wavy, invisible aura coming from the diamond dangling under it.

“I bet it’s a Clear Wisp.” Ava figured.

“Leave that to me!” Dib said proudly as he readied the Golf Bomb, still safely behind the vase stand. After taking careful aim, he launched the Golf Bomb and destroyed the chandelier, setting the Clear Wisp free. The Patrolmeows went into a frenzy at this explosion, but they shortly resumed their duties.

“CLOAK!” Nigel exclaimed, having absorbed the Clear Wisp. With that, he was able to walk right in front of the Patrolmeows and not get spotted. He used his B.O.O.M.E.R. to extinguish the series of Meowbots, soon making the hallway a safe place for the others to travel. There was a door on the left wall, which led to a spiraling stairway that led upward. At the top of the stairway was the door to a small balcony, but there wasn’t any way to go from there.

“Francis’s room is up there.” Kweeb said, pointing up the tower which the balcony sat under.

“We’ll have to find a Spike Wisp or something.” Ava figured. With that, they returned to the hallway and followed the rest of the way down. They reach another outside area, where it looks like a walkway should be, but there was nothing connecting to the tower ahead of them. There were more Airmeows flying around the area, and the nearest one to their ledge took notice of them, but Nigel easily shot it down with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R..

The Meowbot released a Shrink Wisp that shot up Nigel’s nose. “Oh, great.” He sighed. “Not again.”

“Hmm, methinks I hath an idea.” Luvbi said. “Shrinketh down, wouldst thee?”

Nigel sighed. “Alright. SHRINK!” At that instant, he was zapped down to an inch tall again.

Luvbi scooped the tiny Brit into her hands and placed him on her head. “Holdeth tight.” The angel cautioned as she lifted off, flying toward the top of the tower. Nigel held onto Luvbi’s hair and watched as the ground grew lower, feeling a light breeze pass by his head as they soared ever higher. Airmeows attempted to shoot down the angel, but Luvbi blasted them away with powerful gusts. They reached the area around the tower’s room as Luvbi set Nigel on the floor. “Pray, seemeth I hath given thee lift after all. Ha HA!”

Nigel crawled under the door on his own and entered another enormous collection room. The room was circular and had many round shelves along the walls. The shelves were divided into their own sections and labeled, having a _Kids Next Door_ collection, _Teen Titans_ collection, _Avatar_ collection, _Xiaolin Showdown_ collection, etc.. In the middle of the top shelf was a container holding a Spike Wisp. Some of the toys around the room served as perfect platforms for stepping up the shelves at Nigel’s height, and he was able to get to the Spike Wisp and absorb it.

He was restored to normal height as a result, walking back onto the outside area where Luvbi waited. “How dost thou expect me to carry thee when thou art so big?!” she questioned.

“I have a plan. SPIKE!” Nigel changed to his Spike form and faced directly at the area where their friends waited below. He curled in a spike ball and charged a Spin Dash to launch himself over the edge, flying far so that he landed where his friends were. “Guys, quick, to the balcony!” he ordered. They had to hurry to the balcony quickly so that the power wouldn’t wear off beforehand. Once they arrived, Nigel grabbed Ava, Dib, and Kweeb (since he fit) into the spike ball and rolled them all up the tower.

The Color Power wore off just in time for them to reach a walkway that spiraled up the rest of the tower. “Didn’t we already have to do this in Ice Palace?” Ava asked.

“Ah well. We probably won’t have to for the next level.” Nigel replied. Luvbi flew up and joined them shortly after as they hurried up the spiral stairs. They were finally led to a short hallway inside the tower, where they found a big, red door that looked like a cat.

“So, this must be yon Francis’ chamber.” Luvbi figured.

“Great! Allow me, guys.” Dib said proudly as he was about to open the doors. But before he could, two eyes on the cat door opened and stared at him.

_“Halt. Only Master Francis and totally hot babes are allowed to enter.”_

“Not this again.”

_“You are not Master Francis. All others will get the bully treatment.”_

“Bully treatment?” Dib asked. With that, a mechanical arm reached down and picked him up. Another arm came out and began punching him in various places. The arm holding him then began banging him against the walls. It then twirled him around and tossed him a short distance. The arm reached and grabbed him again for more torture.

As the rest of the team watched Dib be tortured, Ava thought aloud, “Hmmm, I wonder if it’ll let me in.” With that, she stepped up to the door and the eyes stared at her.

 _“Halt. Only Master Francis and totally hot babes are allowed to enter.”_ The computer repeated as the mechanical arms dropped Dib in a bucket of water and dropped several electric eels into said bucket in the background. _“You are a hot babe, but I must test you to see if you are compatible with Master Francis. Answer the following questions correctly.”_

Ava sighed. “Fine.”

 _“First question:”_ it said as Dib was being blasted by a flamethrower. _“Who did Sector V fight around the beginning of this story?”_

“The Rhymer.”

_“What is Dimentia’s Numbuh?”_

“256.”

 _“Which_ KND _character is probably the absolute least popular?”_

“Jerry Rassic.”

_“Which KND pairing is horribly unappreciated?”_

“10/11.0.”

 _“What are the four main_ KND _pairings?”_

“3/4, 2/5, 86/60, 1/362.”

_“What is the name of the next world?”_

“Avalar.”

_“Who is Francis’ cousin?”_

“Leon Powalski.”

_“Who is the biggest outlaw in Galaxia?”_

“Rattlesnake Jake.”

_“What are the creatures that serve Dimentia?”_

“Magiblots.”

_“Who destroyed Planet Wisp in the prologue?”_

“Malladus.”

_“Who was the first Tallest?”_

“Emperor Irk.”

_“What is the name of the partner you just met?”_

“Kweeb.”

_“Who is the most hated KND operative?”_

“Numbuh 363.”

_“What was the name of Numbuh 1’s dream girl in U.T.O.P.I.A.?”_

“Katie.”

_“Who made the Happy Headband?”_

“The Nightmare King.”

_“All questions correct. You may enter.”_

Just as Dib was about to be split by a chainsaw wielded by a cheetah, the arms put him down, patted him on the head and retreated. He breathed a sigh of relief as the doors to Francis’ room opened. Nigel then couldn’t help but ask, “Ava, how did you know the answers to most of those questions?”

Ava thought for a moment and merely shrugged. “Beats me. Now, let’s go kick some fanboy butt!”

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Nigel exclaimed. With that, they headed into Francis’ room, but not before a mechanical leg kicked Dib in the bottom.

“Why am I always the fall guy?” he mumbled to himself. (End song.)

Right away, they were in Francis’ room and they found the nerd watching an episode of _Power Rangers Samurai_. “Freeze, Francis!” Nigel exclaimed as Kweeb slid down Ava’s dress and landed softly on the floor, and everyone got in their battle poses. “It’s the end of the line!”

“It’s time you learned not to underestimate us shrimpies!” Kweeb declared.

Ava giggled. “You’re so cute when you try to act tough when you’re this tiny!”

“Can we just focus on beating this guy?!” Nigel exclaimed.

“Neeerrrr! H-How did you get here so quickly? Ever heard of p-privacy?”

“Time flies when you’re watching TV.” Ava said. “Now, let all the aliens you captured go!”

“Neeerrrr. I’m afraid that won’t be happening. I’m not about to lose this base. And I’m not about to be beat by you kids either. (Even if the white alien is totally hot.) I’m about to-”

_“Francis! Who is in your room at this unholy hour?!”_

“MOM! My archenemies are right here!”

_“Make sure they don’t come in the bedroom! I’m not dressed for this horrible occasion!”_

Francis’ cheeks blushed in embarrassment in front of the five heroes. “I’m guessing you must have a wonderful social life.” Dib said, sarcastic.

“Neeerrrr! I’ve had enough of this mocking! It’s time I destroyed you, and get a fasssscinating reward from the Tallest.” At this, he turned invisible. “Can’t see me? That’s ‘cause my invisibility powers are totally hi-technicaaal. Now, feel the power of the Green Ranger in that one episode of _Power Rangers Samurai_!” (Play Francis’ Battle Theme from _Super Paper Mario_!)

 

_Boss fight: Francis Powalski_

The team scanned the room in search of the invisible nerd. “THERE HE IS!” Dib exclaimed as he saw Francis appear behind them. They ran over in an attempt to attack him, but stopped when Francis drew out his camera and released a huge flash of light, which brightened the whole room, so that anyone could barely see.

Through the brightness, Ava squinted her eyes and noticed a strange silhouette that looked like a Wisp. “Nigel! There’s a Clear Wisp!” Nigel saw where she pointed and ran to absorb the Wisp.

When the room cleared of the flash, Francis scanned the room for the missing Numbuh One. “Neeerrrr. Where did he go?!” he asked.

“Right HERE!” Nigel exclaimed as he started beating Francis from behind. “Now, I’m HERE!” he said as he attacked Francis from the front. He then reached in his mouth, grabbed his tongue, and started hitting him against the floor. He threw Francis against the wall as his Color Power wore off.

“I’m not finished yet! MEOWBOMBS!” Francis exclaimed as he pushed buttons on a calculator and a few small blinking Meowbots came in. Luvbi blew one out the window, Kweeb shot one with his laser, Ava cut one with her swords, and Nigel shot one with his S.H.O.O.T.E.R..

The one Nigel shot then released another Shrink Wisp, which then flew into Nigel, causing him to shrink once more. “Oh great. I’m small again!”

“Works for me!” Francis said as he shot his tongue at Nigel and swallowed the small Brit.

Nigel soon found himself in Francis’ stomach, much to his disgust. He heard something beating and looked up to see his heart. “And THAT works for me!” he smirked as he drew his blaster and fired at Francis’ heart.

Outside, Francis was grabbing his chest and grunting with pain. “Oh! Heartburn! Must be something I ate!”

“Looks like Nigel has this one covered!” Dib said.

“I think I’ll help him out!” Kweeb exclaimed as he ran over to Francis and shot him in the foot, making him leap up in pain. The chameleon then whacked Kweeb with his tail, sending the tiny alien flying.

“Kweeb!” Ava shouted as she ran over and caught him in her hands. “You okay?”

Kweeb merely smiled and blushed as he looked up at her.

“Mayhap this will cureth thine burning heart!” Luvbi said as she launched several winds gusts at Francis from all directions, making him blow around.

Inside, Nigel was bouncing all around Francis’ body due to Luvbi’s attack. “Hey, stop it, Luvbi! You’re going to shake him up!” Dib shouted. Luvbi instantly ceased her attack.

Nigel then found himself inside Francis’ brain. He smirked as he aimed his blaster at the brain stem and fired away.

“AHHHH! Headache! Get him out of me, get him out of me!” Francis screamed as he started hitting the side of his head. In an instant, Nigel came flying out of his left ear.

“Hey, this Shrink Wisp isn’t half bad!” he exclaimed.

“Had enough, your nerdiness?” Dib smirked.

“Neeerrrr. I expected the worst. So, I came up with the perfect back-up plan! Meet me outside for the schweeeetness!” he said as he vanished. The team of five then felt a strange rumbling. (Pause song.)

“Let’s go outside!” the still shrunken Nigel exclaimed as Ava grabbed him and Kweeb before running outside.

**Outside Fort Francis**

“Where’s that coming from?” Dib asked as they looked around for the source of the shaking.

“Over there!” They all looked to where Ava pointed to see five enormous mechanical pieces rise out of the ground and float in the air. The five parts then merged together and became a giant robotic samurai with a cat face.

_“Neeerrrr! Behold, the true beauty of hi-technicaaaality: the Samurai Catzord!”_

“This guy is officially obsessed with cats.” Dib said.

_“Now, prepare for-”_

_“Francis! Your dinner’s ready!”_ Francis’ mom said from a distance.

_“MOM! I’m busy destroying my archenemies!”_

_“Destroy your archenemies later! Your fly soup’s getting cold!”_

_“Ugh! Alright, let’s make this quick. Prepare for destruction!”_ (Replay theme!)

Nigel gulped. “That thing sure is big.” He said, feeling more powerless than ever before the gargantuan robot, especially at his size.

“We might be able to stop him.” Kweeb said. “Do you still have my ship, Dib?”

Dib reached into his pocket and pulled out Kweeb’s ship. “Right here!” he said, placing it on the ground by Kweeb.

“Okay. You guys distract him and me and Nigel will fly into an opening and take him out from the inside!”

“Sounds like a plan!” the wee Brit agreed. “Galactic Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!”

With that, Ava, Dib, and Luvbi charged to the colossal Meowbot. Dib took out his golf bomb and started knocking bombs toward the machine. Nigel and Kweeb hopped into Kweeb’s hover craft and flew up to the massive robot. They found an opening in the robot’s ear and flew inside. Once in, they shot at robotic flies that were trying to slow their progress. “I’m surprised these things aren’t flying mice!” Nigel said.

“Look! There’s one of the generators!” Kweeb exclaimed as they found a large capsule with energy flowing through it. The two shot at the capsule and eventually destroyed it.

Outside, the other three operatives could see the robot shake a little. “Looks like they got ‘im!” Ava exclaimed.

 _“Neeerrrr! It’s not over yet!”_ Francis said as the robot through a punch down to the heroes, which quaked the ground, knocking them off their feet. The robot then reached and grabbed Ava, who screamed as she was being lifted into the air.

_“Neeerrrr. Now I got you.”_

“There’s another one!” Kweeb shouted as they found another generator and soon destroyed it.

“We’ve gotta help her!” Dib exclaimed as he and Luvbi were trying their best to save Ava from the robot’s clutches. Luvbi was blowing back his cannonballs and Dib kept firing golf bombs.

_“Neeerrrr. Isn’t this baby schweeeet?”_

“HELP!” Ava screamed.

_“Now, I’ll crush you!”_

Meanwhile, Nigel and Kweeb were still flying through the robot’s insides. Their expressions lit up when they saw the last generator. “Say good-bye!” Nigel exclaimed as he fired the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. at the last generator. (End song.)

Ava continued to scream as the robot’s hand was about to come down on her head. Fortunately, it stopped when it was about 2 inches away.

 _“Huh? W-What’s going on?”_ Soon, the two tiny operatives came flying out of the robot. Ava escaped and dropped from the robot’s hand, with Luvbi using her wind power to break her fall, as the robot began to shake. _“NEEEERRRRR!”_ Francis screamed as his robot exploded shortly after, sending the nerd flying into the sky.

In the distance, the group heard his mom yell, _“Don’t come back until you bring me grandchildren!”_

Once the explosion cleared, a flock of Shrink and Cloak Wisps gathered above the area. As Nigel and Kweeb landed, the Shrink Wisp flew out of Nigel’s body and up to the flock, allowing the bald Brit to grow back to normal. “Phew. I thought I’d never get big!”

“Hey, look!” At Dib’s cue, the team looked up to see the Orange Star Piece. The Star Piece spun around and took off to the Star Haven.

“Well, that was relatively easy for a boss fight.” Nigel said.

“It probably would’ve been longer if this were an actual video game.” Dib replied.

After a few seconds, Kweeb turned to look up at Ava. “Hey, Ava, can I ask you something?”

Ava bent down to get a better look at him. “Yes?”

“I was wondering… do you wanna maybe hang out sometime?”

She smiled. “Sure!”

“Well, that’s another planet done. Let’s get going.” Nigel said. The team of five then headed back to the ships with the mariachi band playing their music on a rock.

“And so, the bald hero braved the struggles of the micro world and recovered yet another Star. The team headed back to the base to rest for whatever challenge they would face on the next planet.”

“Is he going to die on this next planet?”

“Yes, most definitely!” _I hope._

**GKND H.Q.**

In a dark room deep inside the GKND Headquarters, the Blue and Yellow Magiblots were hard at work fixing a machine. The Red Magiblot came in hauling a container of the dark Wisps from before.

“Be careful with those Nega Wisps, Red! Those are dangerous creatures, you know.” Yellow cautioned.

“Man, why is Dimentia making us fix the machine?” Red complained. “Why couldn’t she kidnap and brainwash those KND Earth scientists to do this? You know, like that whole Splinter Cell thing we made up.”

“Because the Earth scientists are covering for Number 1, and kidnapping them would only make everyone else more suspicious.”

“How do we know we can even trust those scientists? We let Number 2 in on it, and then look what happened? And before you know it, Number 11.0’s gonna blab to Number 10 and then she’ll come up here, find out everything, and go down to Earth and tell everyone! Just like those annoying teenagers from before!”

“Calm down, Red. The only reason Chad got here was because Infinity brought him here. Even if 11.0 did tell Number 10, she’d have no way of getting up here.”

“I guess so, but I still don’t think we can trust ‘em.”

“Don’t worry. If they know what’s good for them, they’ll keep their mouths shut.”

“Probably. So, how many Nega Wisps do we need before this thing is finished?”

“I say we’re nearly there. Then all we need is Jirachi and the Star Rod and we can finally put all our troubles behind us!”

“Yeah!” replied Blue. “Once this thing’s up and running, no one will be able to stop us! Especially _him_!” And with that, the three Magiblots burst into maniacal laughter.

 

**Finally, we’re done here! Soon, we’ll head to the next planet, which I’m quite looking forward to! I hope you all like dragons! Anyway, I own the Cloak Wisp and the Samurai Catzord is an obvious parody of the Megazord from _Power Rangers Samurai_. Sssssee you later!**


	16. The Purple Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nigels heads to the fairytale world of Avalar, where they meet a purple dragon.

**I like this world coming up.**

****

**_

Chapter 16: The Purple Dragon

_**

****

**The _Massive_**

On the Tallests’ grand flagship, the two emperors were sitting in their control area doing what they do (which is eating more snacks). Orbot and Cubot rolled in as the former reported, “Sirs: we have some good news and bad news.”

“Bad news first.” Red said, wanting to get the bad part over with.

“Well, our spy just reported, and it seems that Francis was, in fact, beaten by Number 1.”

“Yarr, those guys swabbed the deck with him, they did!” Cubot said.

“Wow, Francis got beat. Why am I not surprised?” Red replied sarcastically.

“What’s the good news?” Purple asked.

“The good news is Cubot’s new voice chip just came in! I’ll put it in now.” Orbot said as he opened a slot in Cubot’s neck and put the chip in. “There we are! Should be fixed now.”

“YO! Man, Ah feel more hyper ‘an a hedgehog on cactus juice! This new voice chip’s the shiz, yo!” Cubot exclaimed in a rapper-like voice.

“Okay, maybe not.” Orbot said.

“Ugh. Is it really that hard to fix a simple voice chip?” Red asked.

“Yo, man, quit bustin’ mah buttons over here. I still got the stuff even if I sound like a duncebucket!”

“What does that even- Oh, never mind! We have bigger problems to worry about.”

“Yeah.” replied Purple. “Those GKND have nearly all the Stars now. We don’t even know where the rest of them are.”

“Well, except for the one Ripto found on Planet Avalar.” corrected Red.

“Then it’s highly likely they’ll go to Avalar next. Should we plan something there?” asked Orbot.

“Don’t worry. Ripto’s currently using the Star for his new scepter, making him powerful. The only thing that could beat him would be a dragon.”

“Well, Avalar has quite the population of dragons, you know.”

“Yes, but Ripto recently caught his own pet dragon just in case, so we have nothing to worry about. The only thing that concerns me now is the whereabouts of Zim. Where is he?”

“We haven’t quite heard about Zim since he helped the GKND defeat Tak. He is still on the wanted list, so some people will be searching for him. I’m still concerned of what he may do if he finds out he’s on the wanted list. He may be incompetent, but he may have the guts to turn against us.”

“Maybe, but if he calls about it, we’ll come up with something. For right now, get to finding those Stars. (And fixing that chip.)” The robots saluted and rolled out.

The Tallest were silent for a few minutes until Purple asked, “Hey, Red, ever hear about those adults who’ve gone missing on some planets?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Where do you think they disappear to?”

“I don’t know. But whatever’s happening to them can’t possibly happen to us, right? I mean, we are the Tallest.”

Purple chuckled. “Yeah! You’re right!” The Tallest then sat in silence for a few moments, smiling. Soon afterward, they showed slight expressions of worry.

**Star Haven**

Ava was calmly sitting at the edge of the river at Star Haven, with her legs hanging over the water. Several Wisps were flying around the Haven, taking drinks of Dream Water. Her new tiny friend, Kweeb, was sitting on her shoulder. “This place sure is beautiful, isn’t it?” Ava asked.

“Yeah.” Kweeb replied, dreamily.

They were silent for a few minutes until Ava spoke, “Hey, Kweeb, how come I’ve never seen you around the base?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe because I’m only as big your toes.”

Ava giggled. “That would make sense! You are pretty small!”

“Actually, I have tried talking to you on a few occasions.”

“Really? Why couldn’t you?”

“Well, the first time is when I was watching you train in the gym. I climbed onto the matt while you were swinging your swords, and when you walked by, you stepped on me.”

“Ooooh… Well, sorry about that. How come you never wished for Jirachi to make you bigger?”

“Well, because the people on my planet believe you don’t have to be big to be strong.”

“Well, you and Nigel handled yourselves pretty well against Francis. So, what’s it like being so small, anyway?”

“It’s not so bad. Sure, I always have to walk long distances, but this size is great for spying, and the food’s big enough to last me a lifetime!”

“Maybe, but if I was your size and I was looking up at me, I’d be a little afraid.”

“Oh, please, why would I be afraid of you of all people?”

“I don’t know. I’d figure I look pretty imposing to you. If I wanted to, I could just toss you into my mouth and swallow you in one gulp.”

Kweeb chuckled. “No you wouldn’t!”

“Oh yeah?” Ava immediately snatched the little alien and tossed him into her mouth, snapping it shut.

Kweeb got up on the massive, mushy tongue and frightfully ran to Ava’s teeth, pounding on them rapidly. “No! Lemme out! Lemme out noooow!”

Ava smiled and held her hand open, spitting the little alien onto it. “You sure scare easily.”

Kweeb shook the saliva off and looked up at her with a smirk. “I only acted scared to satisfy you. But you aren’t really that scary. Heck, if anyone’s scary at this size, it’s Dimentia!”

Ava giggled. “Makes sense. I’m about her height and _I’m_ scared of her!”

Kweeb chuckled. “Hey, do you think people on her planet have miscolored faces?”

“I don’t know, but if they do, and she’s still considered ugly, I’d hate to see what the prettiest girl there is like!” The two laughed at this for a few minutes until a voice was heard behind them.

“Ahem.”

They turned to see Dimentia, Gabe, and Jeremy glaring at them. “Uh, Numbuh 256!” Kweeb exclaimed.

“Uh, we were just kidding around!” Ava chuckled nervously.

“What are you two doing here, anyway?” she asked.

“Uhhh, just hanging out.”

“Yeah!” Kweeb replied.

Dimentia sighed. “Whatever, as long as you aren’t dating. I need a drink from the fountain. Gabe, get me my mirror.”

“Oh, wouldn’t you rather have a fan to hide your face?” Kweeb asked jokingly. “For a fan would be a fairer face!” Ava couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Gabe and Jeremy gave small chuckles.

“How original.” Dimentia replied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a drink.” With that, she and the Wisps headed into the sanctuary. Inside, Ava and Kweeb could hear her singing.

_O great, mighty star_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the river turn backward_

_Give me what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

“She sure does love drinking from that fountain, doesn’t she?” Kweeb said.

“Well, she is over a million. Being the one to resist the disease the longest, she has to make trips there constantly. She spends almost all of her time there than in the base.”

“How did she know about the disease, anyway?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she-“ Ava silenced as Infinity came flying out of the shrine and up to them.

“Actually, we’re glad you’re here ‘cause we have a mission for you two and the others.” The two exchanged curious glances. “We’ve just detected a Star on Planet Avalar, the dragon world. The five of you are expected to head out as soon as lunch is over. So, good luck.” With that, he flew off.

“Well, that was brief.” Kweeb said.

“Yeah. Hey, can you wait here for a bit? I need to go do something.”

“Uh, sure.” With that, she placed the little alien on the ground and ran off. _That’s strange_ , he thought to himself. _I wonder what’s up?_

**Food Courtia**

“What do ya mean you’re out of rat gutssss?” yelled an angry Rattlesnake Jake. He and Star Wolf were currently resting at Sizz-Lorr’s restaurant in Food Courtia, a city on Irk.

“Look, we’re sorry, but we won’t have another shipment of rat guts until tomorrow.” Sizz-Lorr replied.

“I want my rat guts NOW or I’ll-”

“Calm down, Jake, there’s no need to start a riot.” Wolf said.

“You’re too soft, you know that? It’s no wonder those kids were able to beat you.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you were beaten by that Dib kid.”

“I would’ve had him if it weren’t for that bald kid breaking my grasp! And he wouldn’t have done that if SOMEONE spent more time fighting him instead of fleeing him!”

“Look, they were all worthy opponents and we underestimated their abilities, which is why we have to be ready the next time we face them, and NOT waste our energy on the restaurant owner.”

Jake sighed and turned back to Sizz-Lorr. “I’ll just take the squid pudding.” He said quietly.

“I’ll order the fly soup!” Leon said.

“I’ll have the fish sticks.” Panther ordered.

“Just give me the steak.” Wolf said.

After a few minutes, the team got their orders and were sitting at a table. Rattlesnake Jake held a glass under his sharp tooth and filled it with poison acid, which he proceeded to drink. As they were eating, Sizz-Lorr turned on the TV in the restaurant, and the news played. The anchorwoman was a blond human, while the anchorman was some sort of green alien with a large brain.

 _“Welcome. This is Channel 5000, Galaxia’s most watched news program.”_ The anchorwoman, Linda spoke. _“Today’s story: the tiny aliens of Kateenia were freed thanks to the works of the snot-nosed group of kids we know as the Galactic Kids Next Door.”_

“Typical Francis.” Leon said. “If he had spent more time in the weight room instead of reading his comic books, he would’ve beaten them.”

This time, the anchorman, Morbo spoke: _“In other news, bounty hunters everywhere are searching for the outlaws on the Irkens’ most wanted list.”_

 _“Anyone who turns in any of these people to the Irken Empire will be rewarded handsomely by the Almighty Tallest.”_ said the anchorwoman as the screen showed a list labeled Irkens’ Most Wanted, which showed pictures of Nigel, Dib, Luvbi, Kweeb, and Zim.

“That’s strange.” Panther began. “Why isn’t Ava on the list?”

“Forget about your girlfriend.” Wolf replied. “We need to think of a plan to beat those guys.”

“And just what do you propose we do, Leader?” Jake asked.

Wolf thought for a minute before answering. “I think it’s time we paid a visit to our old friends.”

**GKND H.Q.**

At the cafeteria, Nigel, Luvbi, and Dib were having their lunches. “Has anyone seen Ava and Kweeb?” Nigel asked.

“I think they’re hanging out at the Star Haven.” Dib answered.

“Yea, a crush hot as a thousand suns, the small alien hast. The redness is clearly visible upon his tiny cheeks.” Luvbi said.

“On another note, I got this fortune cookie!” Dib exclaimed as he held up a fortune cookie.

“Well, read it!” Nigel said.

Dib took out the strip in the fortune cookie and read aloud. “‘On your journey, you will get that which you most desired.’ Cool! I bet it means I’ll catch Zim and expose him for what he is!”

“Hold on, Dib. There’s more to it.” Nigel pointed.

Dib looked at the strip to see there was more to it. “‘You will also be hit by a baby grand piano.’” He then looked above him with a slightly worried expression. “Well… I’ll just be going now.” He said as he walked away slowly.

Nigel was about to bite into his meatball sandwich when something caught his attention. A strange shadow slid across the floor and out of the cafeteria. “Luvbi, did you see that?”

“Seest what?”

Nigel looked to where the shadow went and headed for that direction. Luvbi just shrugged as she bit into an apple.

Nigel walked down the halls of the base, looking for the shadow. He finally noticed the shadow moving down the hall and chased after it. He chased it down a hallway, which led to a heavily guarded door with the label _Danger. Keep Out._ He tried opening the door, but to no avail. He then decided to forget the shadow and turn back.

At that instant, the shadow came out from behind the door and entered a code on the keypad near the door. The shadow vanished as the door opened. The bald Brit looked back to the opened door with a confused expression. He heard groaning sounds from the other side and gulped. While he really wanted to turn back at this point, he felt that someone was trying to call him. With another gulp, he headed in.

He went down a short staircase until he was in a dark room. He pulled out a flash light and started to scan the room. The room appeared to have several prison cells. _This must be the prison hold._ The Brit thought to himself. He looked to his right to see an open cell. He shined his light into the cell, and inside was a group of the horned Wisps with big mouths and sharp teeth, which turned to look at Nigel. Nigel screamed as the monstrous Wisps roared and shot at him. To his relief, the Wisps were held back by an invisible barrier. Nigel then peeked into the other cells to see alien adults from various planets groaning in misery.

He slowly moved through with great fear until he heard a groan that sounded oddly familiar. He turned around and was shocked when he saw none other than Chad and Maurice on the floor in a cell, looking beaten up. “Chad? Maurice?”

Maurice was out cold while Chad held himself up with his arms. “Hey, Uno. Long time, no see.” Chad said weakly.

“Chad… what is this?”

He coughed. “Oh, it’s just…” he coughed twice, “…awful.”

“Are you okay?”

“Listen, Uno. Don’t… get… the… Star Rod.”

“Don’t get the Star Rod? What do you mean?”

“NUMBER 1!” Nigel screamed as he turned to see Dimentia standing in the doorway. The dark Wisps in the cell were screaming and trying to attack Dimentia. The space jester merely swung her hand and shocked the Wisps through the barrier. “What are you doing here?!” she asked the Brit.

“Oh, well, I was chasing some weird shadow thing and it led me to this door, which opened on its own and I sort of… walked in?” he chuckled nervously.

Dimentia was silent. “You shouldn’t be in here, Number 1. This place isn’t safe for new recruits like you. Let’s go.” Dimentia headed out, and Numbuh 1 followed. Once they were out, Dimentia quickly shut the door.

“Dimentia, who were all those people?”

“Those were very dangerous adults. Adults that were so bad, they had to be locked where no one could ever reach them.”

“But what were Chad and Maurice doing there? They were undercover teen spies.”

“I’m well aware of that. You see, some of the kids who turn 13 aren’t completely overcome by the disease. While they become teenagers, they don’t become brainwashed, so those operatives don’t get decommissioned and are instead used for spying for the KND. I came up with the whole thing for that, as well. But Chad and Maurice, however, did some things recently. Very treasonous things. So, I had no choice but to lock them away.”

“But what were those Wisps?”

“That’s what happens when Wisps become infected by the disease. They become monstrous creatures that infect anyone they bite. You’re lucky you weren’t bit by one, or else. Moving on, I have another mission for you and your friends. There’s a Star Piece on Planet Avalar and we want you all to go find it. In the meantime, I’d like to request that you don’t mention this to anyone.”

Nigel looked at the door and back at his leader with a slightly scared expression. “Y-Yes Sir. I’ll… be going now.” And with that, Nigel walked off.

Once he was out of sight, Dimentia looked down and said to herself, _“How did he get in the base? I better watch my back from now on. For my sake.”_

**Outside Avalar’s atmosphere**

After lunch was finished, the fantastic five were flying ever so closer to the next planet of Avalar. Rather than fly to the planet in his own ship, Kweeb was merely relaxing in Ava’s ship on her lap. Nigel switched on the Galactic Radio in his Arwing, and everyone listened as music played.

_“This station is brought to you by Human-O’s! It’s a muncha-cruncha tasty human!”_

_“Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to Galaxia’s Greatest Hits.”_ A female voice spoke. _“Bringing peace and liveliness to your endless travels across space. Our first, as voted by fans, the Cantina Band’s number one hit, ‘Livin’ At The Cantina’.”_ The radio started to play the classic Cantina Band theme from _Star Wars IV_. _“Up next, as voted by our fanbase, ‘That Same Song’. The following will feature ‘That Same Song Again’, and afterwards, ‘Maybe Something A Little New’. This is Galaxia’s Greatest Hits, bringing you all the classic music from the days our advanced species were barely inventing the hover car. Thank you and have a wonderful… whatever time you’re hearing this.”_

“You know, the best part about being small is having you carry me around.” Kweeb said. Ava giggled.

“Pray tell, Nigel:” Luvbi began, “didst thou hath any luck of finding yon shadow?”

Nigel was silent. “N-No. I didn’t.”

“So, what’s this planet about?” Dib asked.

“I’ve been here before.” Ava replied. “Avalar’s one of the most beautiful planets in Galaxia. It’s got all kinds of fairytale creatures, mainly dragons.”

“Cool! I’ve always wanted to see a real live dragon!” Dib exclaimed.

“These dragons aren’t too dangerous, are they?” Nigel asked. “Last time I saw a dragon, he wasn’t too friendly.”

“Dragons art not all evil.” Luvbi replied. “Some art kind in nature, some art dark of heart.”

“Let’s hope we don’t meet too many evil ones, then.” Nigel said.

**Planet Coruscant; Corneria Region**

Zim and his robotic companion, GIR were walking through the streets of the Cornerian Capital. The city consisted of mainly towering skyscrapers and flying cars. “Our ship should be finished repairing by now, GIR.” said the Irken. “And now that we have these new weapons, we should be more than a match for those FILTHY GKND!”

The robot was just sucking on a smoothie. “I like chocolate!”

The two then headed into a nearby gas station. “Come on, GIR. Let’s-” they stopped when they saw a brown fox, a blue falcon, a toad, and a blue fox all dressed in space combat outfits and standing by Zim’s ship. “GIR! It’s the Star Fox Team! Fox McCloud, Falco Lombardi, Slippy Toad, and Krystal. The main reasons why this planet isn’t under Irken control! They’re only second to the Galactic Kids Next Door for being annoying. But now that we’re here, we can take them! Let’s go, GIR!” With that, Zim walked toward the Star Fox Team.

“Who do you think this ship belongs to, Fox?” Falco asked.

“I don’t know, but I-” Fox began, but was then interrupted by Zim.

“Now, Star Fox Team: prepare to face the unmerciful wrath of ZIM!”

“Not if we-” Krystal started, but was stopped by Fox.

“Hold on, Krystal. This isn’t just any Irken. This is Zim.”

“Oh, yeah! I know this guy!” Falco replied.

“How could you not?! I am the strongest soldier in the Irken military after all!”

“That’s not what we heard.”

“What are you talking about?! I’m the Tallests’ personal favorite! Just ask them!”

“Then I guess that explains why you’re on their wanted list!” Falco said as he pressed a button on his wrist and projected a hologram of the Irken wanted list.

Zim looked at his picture on the wanted list, confused. “But… that’s not possible. There must be some mistake! YOU LIE! You probably hacked this list!”

“You better believe it, Dim!” Zim and the Star Fox Team turned around to see none other than the Star Wolf Team.

“Just what I need to see: Star Wolf.” Fox said.

“Long time, no see, Fox.” Wolf replied.

“Great. It’s the lizard boy, Leon.” Falco said.

“What’s wrong, Falco? Not happy to see me?” Leon smirked.

“So, Krystal, ready to ditch these losers and come with me?” Panther asked, smoothly.

“Find yourself another girl, mate. I’m with Fox.” She replied.

“Okay. Fine.”

“Yo, who’s the snake?” Slippy asked.

The snake in question then shot to him and held his face in front of Slippy’s. “I’m Rattlesnake Jake, and after eating that squid pudding, I’m hungry for some frog’s tongue!” Slippy gulped as Jake backed away.

“What are you doing here, Wolf?” Fox asked.

“Those GKND made fools of us, so our ships are getting upgraded, so we’re ready for them next time. While we’re here, we thought we’d pay a visit to our old friends, the Star Fox Team. ‘Course, we didn’t expect to find a wanted Irken here.”

“No! I’m not wanted! Somebody must have hacked the list or something. Why would the Tallest put me on their wanted list?”

“Maybe because you couldn’t take over an asteroid.” Wolf replied. “Now, enough talk Zim. You’re coming with us!” They were about to march up to Zim until they were stopped by the Star Fox Team.

“Hold on, Wolf. While we may not know the whole story behind this, anyone on the Tallests’ most wanted list isn’t getting arrested on our watch.”

“Move aside, Fox. This Irken child’s fate isn’t your concern.”

“The Galactic Kids Next Door aren’t the only people that protect kids, Wolf. Frankly, we protect anyone in danger.”

“Well, there won’t be anyone to protect you when we’re done.”

“Uh-oh. Sounds like a battle coming on!” Slippy said.

Wolf and Fox continued to stare into each other’s faces. In an instant, both teams engaged in battle. Fox was fighting Wolf, Falco fighting Leon, Krystal against Panther, and Slippy shooting at Jake and vice versa. Zim merely watched as all the fighting and shooing went on, scaring away the people in the area and destroying nearby objects.

“Get out of here, Zim!” Fox shouted as he was holding back Wolf. “We’ll handle these guys!”

Zim and GIR exchanged glances before boarding their ship and taking off. Soon, they were back in space, flying away from the planet. “There is something seriously wrong, GIR. The Tallest wouldn’t put me on their wanted list. Someone must have made a mistake. Only one thing to do.”

“You gonna make biscuits? _You gonna make biscuits?_ **You gonna make biscuits?** You gonna make biscuits?”

Zim stared at his robot for a moment. “I already told you, GIR. I never want to see another biscuit for as long as I live. We need to call the Tallest and get this straightened out. Otherwise, every Irken soldier will be trying to unjustly capture me. Let’s go.” With that, the ship flew off into deep space.

**Planet Avalar**

The main group soon landed on Planet Avalar, and instantly saw the mariachi band standing on yet another rock. “Welcome to Avalar, where all fairytales come true. Here in this magical land, we have any kind of magical creature you can think of, like fauns, wizards, genies, and especially-“ the band leader was interrupted when they were all hit by a blast of fire, making them black with soot. “…dragons.”

The team then stepped out of their ships. Avalar truly looked like something from a fairytale. The sky was blue with a shade of pink, and mountains covered the landscape for miles in the distance. The grass was so green, it looked almost like a tasty candy, and the rivers flowed with clear water that almost rivaled that of the Dream Fountain.

“So, this is Planet Avalar.” Nigel said, examining the beautiful landscape. “I have to say it’s one of the more pleasant looking planets.” He looked over to Dib, who was peeking his head out of the ship and looking up. “Dib, for the last time, you are not going to be hit by a baby grand piano!”

“But the fortune cookie-”

“Aw, come on, those things aren’t ever true. I mean, do you honestly think a piano is just going to fall from the sky and onto your head?”

Dib chuckled. “Yeah, you’re probably right! I mean, that does sound pretty dumb!” he said as he stepped out of his ship, with still slight worry in his chest.

Ava stepped out of her ship with Kweeb on her shoulder. “This place sure is beautiful, huh Ava?” he asked.

“Yeah. Better hope a dragon doesn’t come and eat you!”

“Oh please! I think I’m a little too small to fill any of these dragons’ stomachs!”

Ava chuckled. “That sort of makes you the lucky one!”

The team walked forward for a while until Luvbi spoke, “So, where doth thou think we shouldst search for yonder Star Piece first?”

“How about over here!” Before they could trace the sound of the voice, they were all knocked back by an explosion. Once they recovered, they looked to see a rather short, orange man dressed in a white shirt, purple pants and cape, a necklace with a red emblem, a horn on his head, and holding a scepter with a red star.

Next to him was some green creature dressed in yellow armor and wielding a club, who looked much taller than him. Behind them were what looked like rhinos dressed in armor. “Who are you?!” Nigel asked.

“I’m Ripto, the emperor of this planet! And you: you kids are trespassing on my planet! Now, get lost or we’ll burn you!”

“Sorry. We’re not leaving without the Star Piece. You wouldn’t know where it is, would you?”

“Star Piece? Oh! You mean THIS?!” he said as he held up his scepter.

“The Red Star!” Ava exclaimed.

“That’s right! This Star makes an excellent scepter! I needed one since a certain dragon ruined my old one.”

“Give the Star Piece to us, Ripto!” Nigel demanded.

“Or what? As you can see, we have you clearly outnumbered. You can’t hope to beat us! Gnasty Gnorc, Rhynocs: destroy them!”

“Galactic Kids Next Door: Battle Stations!” With that, the five operatives went to battle. Ava was attacking the bigger Rhynocs, Dib against the smaller armored Rhynocs, Luvbi blowing away some flying Rhynocs, Kweeb blasting other flying Rhynocs in his hover car, and Nigel fighting against Gnasty Gnorc.

After a few minutes of fighting, the kids seemed to have the upper hand. “Not bad, GKND brats, but I have more tricks up my sleeve!” Ripto said as he waved his scepter and zapped an empty spot on the ground, making several SIRbots spawn out of nowhere. “SIRbots: destroy them!”

“So, he can make SIRbots!” Nigel said as dodged a swing from Gnasty Gnorc’s club.

“What now?” Ava said, fighting back some Rhynocs.

Just when Nigel was about to be crushed by Gnasty Gnorc’s club, the monster was burned by a blast of fire, making him run away screaming. Before Nigel knew it, a short, purple dragon with yellow horns and wings ran and stopped in front of him, looking up at Ripto. “Wha- SPYRO?!” the short man exclaimed.

“Hey, Ripto. Up to no good again, I see.” The purple dragon replied.

“Go away, Spyro! I don’t need you messing up my plans again!”

“What a coincidence! That’s why I’m here! So, say good-bye to your robots, Ripto!” With that, the dragon ran around and charged into all the SIRbots he could, destroying them. The last one he smashed then released a dark blue Wisp shaped like a cube, just like Infinity.

“Hey, that’s a Cube Wisp!” Nigel exclaimed.

“NO! Get that Wisp!” Ripto ordered as Gnasty Gnorc ran to try and grab the Wisp, but failed. The Wisp then flew into Nigel’s body, allowing him to use the power.

“CUBE!” he shouted as he hopped into the air and landed with great force, creating a shock wave which knocked over Gnasty, Ripto, and all the Rhynocs.

“Come on! Over here!” Spyro shouted as he ran off. The heroes ran off in pursuit. Kweeb flew after them, but stopped when he saw Ripto recovering from the attack.

“Hey, unicorn man!” Kweeb exclaimed as he flew in front of Ripto’s eye and shot it, making him scream in pain.

As the tiny alien flew after his friends, he could hear Ripto shout, “When I get my hands on you, you insolent, little creature, I’LL _KILL_ YOU!”

**Sunrise Spring Home**

Spyro led the group of operatives to a forest area. “We should be safe here in the Sunrise Spring Home for a while.” The dragon stated.

“Thanks for the help back there. Who are you?” Nigel asked.

“I’m Spyro. Spyro the Dragon. Most people refer to me as the ‘hero of Avalar’. Who are you guys?”

“We’re the Galactic Kids Next Door. I’m Numbuh 1, or Nigel Uno. This is Ava, Dib, Luvbi, and Kweeb.”

“The Galactic Kids Next Door? Hey, I’ve heard of you guys! You travel the universe saving kids from adult tyranny, don’t you?”

“Pretty much.”

“So, I see you’re already acquainted with Ripto?”

“Who is Ripto, anyway?”

“Oh, he’s some short guy from another world that was warped here recently due to an experiment portal gone wrong. Since then, he’s been trying to take over Avalar. So far, I’ve always been able to stop him, but he found this Star recently and he’s using it for his new scepter. To make matters worse, he made a deal with those tall guys and now they’re letting him use their resources. Right now, we’re trying to find his hideout.”

“Well, we could’ve had him back there.” Dib said.

“Yeah, but that’s another thing: he also caught his own dragon recently and he’s been using it to terrorize the planet. If you tried to destroy him there, his dragon would’ve lost control and attacked everyone. We’re trying to make a portal to his lair, so we can go there and stop that dragon. The portal oughta be finished by now.”

“Well, if you’re going to Ripto’s lair, you mind if we come along?” Nigel asked. “We need that Star of his.”

“Sure you can! The more, the merrier.”

“Great! So, where’s this portal?”

“It’s across the valley. I’ll guide you across if you want. ‘Course, you guys look like you’ve got everything covered.”

“Well, we could always use the help. Glad to have you along, Spyro. Lead the way!” (Play the “Sunny Villa” theme from _Spyro: Year of the Dragon_.)

 

_Stage 10: Valley of Avalar_

_Mission: Follow Spyro across the valley._

The kids cut through a small forest area, going up a small slope, then coming down to an open area where Rhynocs were terrorizing little faun kids, using electric Tasers. Ava leaped and swung her blades at an armored Rhynoc, but its metal armor wouldn’t break. Spyro charged by and rammed the Rhynoc with his horns, shoving him against the wall and knocking him out. “You gotta do that sometimes.” Spyro looked wittingly at Ava. She merely put on a snarky face and stuck her tongue out.

A larger armored Rhynoc stuck his spear against the ground as Kweeb scampered at him through the tall (at his size) grass. Kweeb made his way underneath the Rhynoc and shot lasers at his crotch area, making the monster wince with pain before toppling over. He rolled over and sat up, watching Kweeb scamper away, but didn’t see Dib as he leapt from behind and smashed his head into his armor with his mech-fists, knocking him out. While faun kids were trying to run away, a Rhynoc got in their path, raising his electric taser imposingly. “Ahem.” He turned around, seeing Nigel Uno as the bald boy fired his Z.A.P.P. and gave the rhino a stronger shock, knocking him out.

The little fauns praised the operatives, and a girl faun playfully poked Kweeb’s belly. Ava rolled her eyes and grabbed her little friend as the group climbed on a small ledge, leading to a pathway on a mountainside. As they trekked along, Ninja Rhynoc flipped onto the path from below, readying bo staffs. The first one leapt at them, but Ava kicked up at his belly and stopped him midflight, afterwards jumping and spin-kicking him over the edge. Dib gripped the second one’s staff and held him in place, letting Spyro ram him and send him falling over the chasm. They kept along the path before coming to a left turn, which would lead between the mountains again. One last ninja came flying from below the edge, ready to hit them with its staff, until Luvbi inhaled a blast of air and sent him blowing back down. _“We shoulda came with HANG glideeeerrrrs!”_

The kids entered a pathway in between the mountains, where rams ran out from behind walls and, well, tried to _ram_ them. Dib grabbed one of the goats by the horns and hurled it at another one, while Ava flipped and got on one’s back before stabbing her swords into it. “Honestly, it’s just like hunting on my planet.” She smiled. Three more were running at them from up ahead, but Nigel launched a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. and took them all out.

They came to a wide, vast region of the valley, with dark green forests on their left, and a river that cut through the middle. They saw pink, armored, big-eared, big-mouthed creatures; Gnorcs; dragging helpless faun children across the valley on their right. The first Gnorc was surprised when Nigel threw a bomb against its back, forcing him to release the kids, and when he turned, Spyro rammed him powerfully in the stomach. He coughed and gripped his stomach as Nigel leapt and kicked him in the face.

Ava ran by the next one as Kweeb jumped to his shoulder and bit hard at his ear, making the Gnorc release the kids as he yelped. He shook Kweeb off, but Ava flipped above him and kicked her heel hard against his face, while Luvbi blasted wind at his legs and knocked him over. The last two Gnorcs were quickly hurrying away, but Nigel launched a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. in between them and blew them both away, freeing the kids. The fauns cheered for the operatives as they kept after Spyro, following where the Gnorcs were headed.

They arrived at a cliff with a waterfall, watching as Gnorcs at the top set fire to a vine wall. One Gnorc laughed cockily at them before it kept going. “Well, I guess we aren’t climbing.” Spyro figured.

“Prithee, Ay will see what I canst do.” Luvbi said (exasperatingly) as she flew above the cliff. She saw the Gnorcs carrying away a Blue Cube Wisp in a capsule and immediately flew over to blast wind in their faces. She pushed the capsule toward the cliff and pushed it over the edge to break it, allowing Nigel to absorb the creature.

“CUBE!” Nigel flashed and created a zigzaggy vertical pathway that led up the cliff. The kids had to jump their way up each individual level before reaching the cliff, and Nigel ran forward to use the last of the cube’s energy to knock the Gnorcs out. They stood at the top of a hill that had several rocks and bumps going downward. As they trekked downward, Gnorcs jumped out from the sides and used crossbows to launch arrows at the team, but Ava flipped overhead and landed her foot against one’s face, while Spyro charged down and rammed the other one down the hill. A lower Gnorc dodged as that Gnorc almost hit him, but couldn’t avoid as Nigel tossed a B.O.O.M.E.R. down at him.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, they stood on a ledge overlooking a vast, pretty ocean. There were a few platforms sitting in the water, between them and another ledge that seemed to continue beyond the valley, but the footholds were too far apart. However, there were cyan diamonds between them and the first platform. “Well, guess you’ll have to fire that glider up, Dib.” Nigel said.

“Actually, it’s… programmed to only come on when we have to glide through a much longer area.” He grinned sheepishly.

“How does THAT make sense??”

“You can blame _me_ , blame the producers, it doesn’t matter.” He said simply.

Spyro eye-rolled and said, “Just let me handle it.” With that, the purple dragon leapt over the edge and held his wings out as he calmly glided across the chasm. He approached the first, lower platform, where two Gnorcs stood by a capsule with a Laser Wisp, looking confusedly at the sea.

“I TOLD you to hook the boat to shore when we landed here!” one yelled.

“How was _I_ supposed to know it’d wash off that fast, we’ve only been here for TWO minutes when it did!”

Spyro took land on the platform and shoved the Gnorcs into the ocean by ramming them. Spyro broke the capsule as the Laser Wisp flew over to Nigel and absorbed into his body. “LASER!” he held Ava, Dib, and Kweeb as he became a laser and bounced across the diamonds, taking land on the platform with Spyro. Between them and the next, higher platform were two thin stalagmites sticking up from the sea, the second one higher than the first. Luvbi blew a whirlwind and had it spiral over the first one, and when they jumped and blew upwards, Luvbi blew a whirlwind on the second one, sending them to the platform.

Three Ninja Rhynoc waited up there, and they were about to whack the operatives, but Luvbi blasted one over the edge, Nigel knocked one off with the Z.A.P.P., and Kweeb hit the last with the stun ray, knocking him down, in which Dib walked over and casually pushed him off with his foot. There was a capsule that contained a Blue Wisp, so Nigel broke it and absorbed it. Between them and the ledge ahead were two vulture-like birds flapping back and forth over the ocean. “CUBE!” Nigel used his power to seal the birds in solid blue blocks, having to trap them while they were close so they were close enough to jump across.

They stood before the entrance to a small village area. Before they entered, however, they found a 20x40 stand, where Numbuh 20x40’s hologram made itself known. _“Aaaahh, don’tcha just LOOVE Avalar, Mac? Why did Insomniac ever have ta sell this place? Oh well. NEWEST item on the list, Mr. Zurkon! A funny little robot that’s as destructive as he is talkative! You’ll breeze through enemies in no time with him on your side! Just 2500 Bolts to be on your way!”_

Nigel paid the money forward, letting it suck into the transporter. With that, the saleskid presented Nigel a mechanical box, which the bald boy pressed, releasing a small robot with an antenna that hovered around them.

_“Mr. Zurkon is ready to fight alien SCUM. Mr. Zurkon is hungry for sweet justice. Mr. Zurkon-”_

_“You’ll get used to that.”_ Numbuh 20x40 said.

The kids entered the village and Mr. Zurkon immediately began shooting up the nearby Rhynocs. _“Mr. Zurkon wishes for more worthy opponents. Mr. Zurkon begins to have doubt for such.”_

They reached a larger part of the village where faun children were roaming around. Across the village were some platforms that led up to a ledge, where the village gateway seemed to rest. They jumped their way up, but found that the gate was locked with a chain, and a little faun kid was guarding it. “Hey, who’re you guys?!” he demanded. “You look like you’re with those rhino freaks!”

“Yo, don’tchu recognize the purple scales??” Spyro asked. “Yellow horns and wings??”

“Not everyone on the planet knows your name, Spyro.” He said. “Look, my dad’s lettin’ me guard the gate, and he don’t want anyone gettin’ in or out until those monsters clear out.”

“Well, what if we said we’re Kids Next Door?” Ava asked.

“You don’t live next door, Shawn does. Anyway, if you wanna get by me, you have to run my race track. (Because none of the other kids are fast enough.) If you, I’ll let you by. Deal?”

The kids nodded, and the faun proceeded to lead them off the ledge, going into a secret path through the walls behind the village. They were led to a narrow, curvy pathway, where two parallel pointed pillars sat by either wall, with a whirling wheel icon floating between them. “What’s this?” Ava asked.

“Speed Boost power-up.” Spyro replied. “Just let me.” With that, Spyro dashed through the archway and gained a burst of incredible speed as he began zipping down the pathway. He had to make left and right dodges around walls in his path, and also had to jump little bumps in the road. He came to a wider region of the path where Gnorcs were roaming around, so Spyro charged through them as he ran by. The path eventually led up a slope, where Spyro ran up and off the edge, landing back beside his friends.

The group returned to the gate, as the little faun kid said, “Ehh… seen better. But whatev. See you later.” He was beginning to walk away, when Ava asked,

“Aren’t you gonna give us the key?”

“I said I’d let you by. Didn’t say I was gonna open it. Later!” And with a wave, he hopped over the edge.

“Uuuugh.” Nigel face-palmed in frustration. They heard a little clicking sound, turning to see Kweeb hop out of the lock’s keyhole, as it came open. “Kweeb?”

“I figured I’d go and unlock while you guys were busy.” The Kateenian winked as the gate slid open.

Ava giggled and went to pick him up. “Aren’t you a little sneaky?”

The kids overlooked another wide valley area, jumping their way down stairs on their left. Rhynocs patrolled the valley, and charged at the operatives with swords and shields. Nigel flipped backward to avoid a swing, shooting his Triple S.H.O.O.T.E.R. as the Rhynoc raised his shield, only for Spyro to ram him from behind, knocking him at Nigel, who kicked upside the rhino’s face. Dib pounded a second Rhynoc’s shield with mech-arms, making several dents in it, before Luvbi conjured a whirlwind to send him blowing upward. Ava faced a Rhynoc as it raised its shield, but she performed a twirl, Kweeb was sent flying off her sword and landed between the Rhynoc’s eyes, proceeding to shoot both.

They came to a more open field, where hordes of Rhynocs and Gnorcs suddenly jumped out from bushes. Nigel launched his N.I.N.S.T.A.R. to damage a group of Rhynocs, while Spyro dashed over to ram a Gnorc, followed by Ava, who began clashing against one’s club. Two Gnorcs ran at Dib from either side and swung their clubs down, but he grabbed the clubs and forced them back to their face. Three Rhynocs looked down at Kweeb and surrounded the tiny alien, but Kweeb showed no fear on his face as he leaped around, dodging as they tried to stomp him. Eventually, Luvbi caught them all in a whirlwind, while Kweeb held tight to a grass blade, the angel sending them blowing against the wall.

Nigel blasted his B.O.O.M.E.R. at two Gnorcs, ducking as a Rhynoc chucked its sword at him. He whipped out the V.I.S.S.I.L.E. and launched, blowing it away, then jumped to kick a charging Gnorc in the face. Ava ran at another Gnorc, who was ready to slam her with its club, but she flipped overhead and grabbed its neck in her legs, holding tight as she tugged, made the Gnorc choke, and cause him to fall back and bash his head against the ground.

Ava sheathed her swords as she got up and went to pick up Kweeb. “Wow! How are you that strong?” he asked, impressed.

“My people are naturally built. How are you so quick?”

With all enemies defeated, they hurried forward and climbed onto a short ledge, reaching an area that overlooked the sea again. They headed down a steep slope to a long racetrack, and on their left was a path to a cave blocked by an ice wall. Spyro hurried over and breathed a little flame on it, but it seemed to have no effect. “That’s some thick ice. Guess I’ll run this track.” Spyro charged down, his speed building up from the magic arrows on the ground. Spyro ran up a ramp and onto the track, immediately pursued by Irken Racers, racecars with Irken tech.

Spyro dodged left and right to avoid the cars’ missiles, using more ramps to gain extra speed. One final ramp launched Spyro into a Flame Wisp, which in turn flew to Nigel. “FLAME!” Nigel destroyed the ice wall, and there were several more chunks of ice inside the cave. Most of them contained Rhynocs or Hunter Destroyers, so Nigel didn’t bother to free them. However, one ice chunk had some dragon children trapped, so he chose to free those ones. The Color Power wore off by the time they exited the cave. They were now passing through a peaceful forest within a small canyon.

“So, anyway, I wanted to ask you,” Spyro began, “are all of you elemental benders?”

“Well, Luvbi is, but not us.” Nigel said, confused.

“Ahh. When she was airbending and stuff, I kinda thought the rest of you had some power.”

“Why would you think that?” Nigel asked.

“Well, because the dragons here are element benders, too. I can bend Fire, some of them bend Ice, Lightning, Poison… I heard from somewhere it’s a pretty common thing in the universe; not just Avalar.”

“Hmmmm…” This interested Nigel. His uncle; Father’s flame powers… could that be called _fire_ bending?…

“In fact, you guys have heard of the Jedi, right?” Spyro asked.

“From _Star Wars_?” Nigel questioned.

“Oh yeah, we’ve heard of them!” Ava beamed. “They were psychicbenders, weren’t they?”

“Psychicbenders?” Nigel asked, becoming more confused.

“They used to be all over the place.” Kweeb mentioned.

“Grrrr!” Nigel gripped and shook his head. “Will someone PLEASE explain to me what the Jedi have to do with anything?!”

“He’s not _from_ this galaxy, is he?” Spyro asked.

“Not even close.” Ava shook her head disbelievingly.

“That reminds me, I sure do miss Khryssa.” Kweeb said with a frown.

“Ehh. She wast not the most fun.” Luvbi stated simply.

“Uuuugh!” Nigel moaned in defeat, not going to bother to ask who that was. “Just forget about it!”

There was a tall, yellowish-white rabbit girl with blond hair and a purple cloak standing by an archway. “Hey, Bianca, is the portal ready?” Spyro asked the girl.

“It sure is! Check it out!” Bianca replied as she used some magic to project an image of a cave of magma in the archway. Some golden letters appeared in front of the portal to form the label, _Dragon’s Lair_. “With this, you should be able to get to the cave where Ripto keeps his dragon.”

“Great job, Bianca! You’re really getting better with your magic!”

“Yeah, no thanks to that Sorceress. Now, while you and your friends go deal with Ripto, I have a date with Hunter!”

“I’ll never understand why you two started going out.”

“What? I can’t help that he’s funny.”

Spyro sighed. “So, you guys ready to kick some Ripto rump?”

“Yeah! Let’s-” Dib began, but was silenced when a baby grand piano fell from the sky and crushed him. He rose out of the piano with a dizzy expression and piano keys in his teeth. “Next time you get a fortune cookie, don’t open it.”

“Come on. Let’s go.” Nigel said. The five operatives, along with Spyro, headed into the portal, with Dib, who was shaped like an accordion due to being crushed, making accordion sounds with every step.

 

**There we are! Next time, we’ll hopefully reach the boss. The Star Fox Team, plus Corneria, comes from the _Star Fox_ series (obviously), and Spyro and the residents of Avalar come from the _Spyro_ series. The anchorman and anchorwoman were the same ones from _Futurama_ , and you may recall Sizz-Lorr from _Invader Zim_. Why isn’t Ava on the wanted list? Eh, probably a mistake. Later.**


	17. Ripto's Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nigel ventures the Dragon's Lair to find the Star Piece.

**‘Kay, time for the next dungeon and the boss. Also, I don’t know Spyro’s precise age, so we’re just going to assume he’s about 12. And go.**

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Chapter 17: Ripto’s Rage

_**

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**Numbuh 10’s House**

The young anchorwoman was lying on her bed in a depressed state. She lied there for a few minutes until Numbuh 11.0 came in. “Hey, Eva! It’s Friday night! You know, movie, videogame, pizza night? Wanna go?”

“I don’t really feel like it tonight. Sorry, Kade.”

Kade frowned. “Come on, Eva. I know you really cared about your cousin, but you can’t be sad forever. Besides, I’m sure he’s fine!”

She sighed. “I know, but still. What if he’s not fine? What if he’s been kidnapped and hurt? Or worse.”

“Well, wherever he is, I’m sure he’s okay. And he probably had a good reason for leaving.”

“Maybe. But I just wish I knew where he was. I don’t think I’ll be happy until I’m sure he’s alright.”

Kade couldn’t bear to see her this upset. _Screw what Dimentia says,_ he thought to himself, _she deserves to know._ “Eva, I know where he is.”

“WHERE?!” she exclaimed, immediately jumping to his attention.

The shadow being, who watched from under the bed, waited eagerly for his reply.

 **Dragon’s Lair** (Play “Mt. Lavalava” from _Paper Mario_.)

_Dungeon 5: Dragon’s Lair_

_Mission: Find Ripto and stop his dragon._

The first corridor of this cavern was pretty straightforward. Small Fireslugs fell from the ceiling, but the group was able to wipe them out in one hit. Already, they could feel the rising temperatures as they drew further, thin, red mist floating about the caves. They reached a small room with a little pool of lava, pouring in from a smaller lavafall from the left wall. They took the right path around the magma and passed a short hallway to a wider, taller room, full of mostly lava down below. They stood along the edge of their foothold and overlooked the room, and the ground beneath Dib’s feet suddenly crumbled. “Waaaahh!-” Luvbi quickly used a wind gust to blow him back on the foothold before he fell. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, let’s not stand too close.” Ava suggested. The kids went across a bridge to another cliffside, coming to a part where the road split in two. Straight ahead was a rock-made doorway, while the right led to a chasm of lava, between them and another foothold, with little fireballs jumping in and out of the lava. They decided to head through the door first, and entered a darker corridor where a few Fireslugs roamed around. They wiped them out easily, but further ahead were two Rhynocs wearing steel, heat resistant armor. They blew flames at the kids using flamethrowers, so the operatives kept their distance as Ava leaped over, kicked off the flamethrowers, and landed behind the Rhynoc. On its back was a temperature-control thermometer, so Ava proceeded to lay blows against it until it broke. The armor came off the Rhynoc as it panted from the heat, and Ava knocked it out in one hit.

The second Rhynoc kept its flamer trained on them, but Spyro was able to run behind it, seeing the thermometer had a blue glow to it. Spyro blew flames against it, and it soon overheated before the armor came off, releasing a Cube Wisp. Spyro rammed and knocked the Rhynoc out before the group returned to the larger room. They waited until each in the row of fireballs were out of the magma, at a reasonable height. Once they were, “CUBE!”, Nigel trapped the group of fireballs inside of cubes, creating platforms for them to jump across. They were rather small, so they had to watch their footing (except for Luvbi, who flew as always), but they made it across safely.

They crossed around a pathway and soon reached a new door, coming to another darker tunnel. An Armored Rhynoc charged with its sword ready, but the kids dodged as Ava rolled behind and struck its thermometer. The Rhynoc spun around in attempt to slice her, but missed, and Dib was now behind the Rhynoc as he pounded the thermostat and broke it off. The Rhynoc was exposed and sweated with heat, allowing Nigel to wipe it out with a N.I.N.S.T.A.R.. They trekked further as flaming bats, called Fire Keese, flapped around and tried to burn them, but Ava swung her swords rapidly and dealt them away. There was a small ledge they easily climbed to to pass through a short hallway.

“Heeff... heeff...” Kweeb gasped for breath suddenly, the little alien sweating.

“What’s wrong, Kweeb?” Ava asked.

“Dry air… not good for the little guy’s lungs.” Kweeb shook it off. “It’s okay, though. Let’s keep moving.”

They entered a small room with their slim, narrow path; surrounded by magma, led to a locked door. There was no other way to go except for the small tunnel on their left, where a magma river poured in. “Prithee, me guesses I shalt handle this.” Luvbi offered half-forcefully, rolling her eyes. The angel flew into the tunnel, which was small enough so she was dangerously close to the lava. From the sides, geysers of fire shot from holes, forcing Luvbi to slow down. She reached the end, where the Small Key was seated unguarded on a pedestal, so she proceeded to pick it up. Unsurprisingly, the pedestal sank, and lava poured from the ceiling, forcing her to retreat as it flowed through the tunnel. The team entered the locked door quickly before the room flooded.

In this next passage, they passed down a short flight of stairs and reached another short room with several thin stalagmites sitting in a pool of magma (gee, what else is in this dungeon?). On their right was another locked door, and across the room; by the ceiling, was another cave. Luvbi was about to fly up on her own, but failed to notice the chi-blocking symbols on the walls as she immediately lost flight. “Waaah!-” Dib quickly grabbed her before she fell in the magma. Luvbi looked back and gave him an aggravated look while Dib grinned.

Starting from their foothold and leading around the stalagmites was a tiny pathway, much too small for them to walk on. Kweeb could walk on it, of course, but they suspected Nigel would have to come along, too. Along the wall behind them was an equally small mouse hole, so Kweeb leapt off Ava’s shoulder and went inside to find a small room with a Shrink Wisp, stuck under a grain-sized pebble by its tentacle. “How do we get ourselves in these messes…” it squeaked. Kweeb smiled and shoved the pebble off, setting the pink Wisp free. It excitedly flew out and shot up Nigel’s nose.

“SHRINK!” Nigel shrunk down to Kweeb’s 1-inch height, and the two began their venture across the tiny paths. It led them very close to the lava, and they had to keep their balance jumping across small platforms. They eventually reached the right-side wall as the path led a little upwards. They made it below the tunnel, which was still very high up at their height, but several cliffside ledges, each far scattered apart, on left and right, led up there. Nigel held onto Kweeb and used his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to haul their selves up each ledge, before successfully reaching the tunnel.

The temperature seemed to rise in this tunnel as Nigel began to pant heavily. Kweeb was right: the dry air really was hard to breathe at this height. It felt like this cave was made from poison broccoli, only a thousand times more hot. Along their way, Fireslugs dropped from the ceiling, and while normally easy to a regular sized person, their small sizes could let them be killed by simple contact with the flaming bugs. And because of the lack of oxygen, they couldn’t really fight well, so they thought it best to move around the slugs; since the bugs were still too slow to chase them. They eventually came to a large gap that went across the floor; crossable for a normal-sized person, but much too big for them. Along the left wall, they found another mouse hole (assuming mice can actually _survive_ here), so they decided to limp inside. The walls were red from the magma, and the two had to navigate carefully around small pits of magma. 

They reached a room with an Extendo M.I.C.R.O.B.E., so Kweeb used his remote control to activate it. They guided the tiny robot outside, and the M.I.C.R.O.B.E. was able to stretch up and chop the eyes off the Fireslugs, disabling them as they dissolved away. There was a particular Fireslug sitting along the right wall, not moving from its spot, so they limped over for the robot to behead it (er, be-eye it). They discovered another secret tunnel, and inside was a Bridger M.I.C.R.O.B.E., which they brought over and used to make a bridge across the gap. They soon reached the end of the cave, which was guarded by an enormous Armored Rhynoc. The key hung from his belt, but it was much too big to carry at their sizes, and the Rhynoc looked rather intimidating. They stayed to the side of the room to avoid its vision, but saw the armored monster guarded a Spike Wisp capsule.

Between the monster’s feet was another M.I.C.R.O.B.E., this time designed like a spring. They quietly limped under the beast so Kweeb could activate the robot. They then guided back behind the monster and faced up at its thermometer. Nigel helped himself onto the Springer M.I.C.R.O.B.E., and the robot charged a few seconds before sending Nigel sky-high (at his size). The tiny Brit mustered enough strength to grab the thermostat’s ledge, and slip into its tiny opening. Inside the cooled device, Nigel began throwing grenades around until the thermometer was destroyed. Nigel came tumbling out to the ground as the Rhynoc’s armor came off, the massive metal making earsplitting bangs to the tiny operatives’ ears. The Rhynoc began to sweat, and Nigel and Kweeb hurried away quickly before the guard fell backward and broke the Wisp’s capsule.

The Pink Wisp angrily smacked the fallen rhino (his squishy tentacle didn’t hurt much) before it flew into Nigel’s miniscule body. Nigel poofed back to normal size, shoving Kweeb away in the process, before grabbing the Small Key and lifting his little friend onto his shoulder. “SPIKE!” He became a ball of spikes as he rolled along the ceiling, down the tunnel, and over the pit of magma and stalagmites before dropping down to his friends. They entered the locked door to another slight thin hall, where stone stairs led upward. They were ambushed by smaller armored Rhynocs, which Dib proceeded to beat, while Spyro heated them with flames, to break off their armor. Nigel then finished them with the C.A.T.I.F.I.E.R..

They were on a cliff over a small lake of lava. Dib spotted the dark-blue stalactite in the distance, so he hit a Golf Bomb over to destroy the stalactite. The Wisp came flying over and into Nigel’s body. “CUBE!” He conjured some cubes over the lava, but there were only seven. The group had to stay on the cubes as more began to spawn, one at a time, while the backmost cube would vanish. The cubes made random turns around stalagmites, and fireballs would jump out of lava and land on random parts. Fire Keese attempted to push them off, but Ava cut them down before they could.

The cubes led into a tunnel, in which lava began to pour in behind them. The lava thankfully didn’t catch up to their cubes, and they could get off on a path and keep running. The tunnel turned right, but lava continued to flood in, so the operatives ran. They jumped gaps and dodged around lavafalls, then quickly ran up a spiral staircase as the cave began flooding. The stairs ended, but there was a capsule containing a Green Wisp. Nigel broke the Wisp free and absorbed its power. “HOVER!” He began to softly raise skyward. Dib, Ava, and Spyro held onto him while Luvbi flew on her own. Despite the three’s weight, Nigel’s Hover form was not affected at all.

He maneuvered around Lava Bubbles (flame spirits) and kept ascending to escape the rising lava. They were able to get up through a narrow hole at the top, setting foot on land as they watched the lava rise to the edge of the hole, where it stopped completely. They viewed a very wide area of the cave where Rhynocs were stationed on high platforms, wielding sniper rifles. “Let those other nerds have their magic and bows and arrows.” a Rhynoc remarked. “Guns are the way to win wars, baby!”

The operatives hid behind a rock and studied the situation. “Pray, canst Kweeb do something to best them?” Luvbi asked.

“Huff… so… hot…” panted Kweeb.

“Apparently not.” Nigel said.

“Hey, it looks like the pack on that first Rhynoc is shaking.” Dib noticed. “Might be a Wisp.”

“Then let’s help it.” Nigel fired a V.I.S.S.I.L.E. up and down at the Rhynoc, destroying it. A Clear Wisp was freed, flying over to Nigel as the Rhynocs got more alert. “CLEA—I mean… _Clear.”_ Nigel whispered. He turned invisible and walked into the snipers’ line of sight. He could climb the next Rhynoc’s tower and knock him out, dropping another Clear Wisp to restore Nigel’s stealth. The snipers looked to where their comrade fell, but could not detect the invisible operative. The third Rhynoc’s tower had no ladder, so Nigel had to Wall Jump between two rock pillars to make it up and knock him out. The fourth tower was the tallest and had no ladder, but Nigel could hide behind a tall pillar beside the tower and find a Hover Wisp. Nigel levitated from behind the pillar and got behind the Rhynoc, doing a thrust to push the Rhynoc off to his doom.

With that, the team reunited and proceeded to a long, tall stairwell that seemed to lead out of the cave. “So, I have a question.” Spyro said on their way up. “If only one kid per planet can be in GKND, then why are Dib and Nigel both humans?”

“Well, Dib isn’t technically an operative.” Nigel replied. “He’s just working with us temporarily until we catch this Irken called Zim.”

“Oh, really?”

Dib looked away. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Speaking of which, we haven’t really ran into Zim since Planet Secco. You haven’t seen him, have you Spyro?” Nigel asked.

“Not as far as I can tell. All Irkens look the same to me.”

“Too bad Zim smashed Dib’s tracking device, huh?” Ava said.

“Y-Yeah. Too bad for that.” Dib chuckled nervously.

“Hey, look! There’s a light!” Kweeb said, pointing to a light at the end of a steep staircase.

“We must be getting close! Let’s go!” Spyro said. The gang headed up the staircase, and once at the top, they were outside on an enormous platform in the middle of a volcano. The platform looked as big as a football field. The team looked ahead to see Ripto standing in the center with his back turned.

“Hey! It’s Ripto!” Ava pointed.

The team quickly ran up to him. “Hey, Ripto! Feel like giving up, yet?” Spyro asked.

Ripto turned around and smirked. “So, Spyro, you and your little snot-nosed friends made it all the way here, huh? Quicker than I thought.”

“That’s right! Now, hand us the Star and we’ll let you go easy.” Nigel demanded.

Ripto laughed. “I don’t think so! I know just who you are, Nigel Uno. You’re the Tallests’ Number 1 on their list. You’re pretty strong-willed, I hear. But be that as it may, neither of you will be getting this Star. But on the bright side, you’ve all arrived just in time for snack time! And guess who’s hungry? COME ON OUT, BIG BOY!”

The six heroes felt the ground begin to shake. Before their very eyes, a dragon of tremendous size came flying out of the lava and onto the platform. The dragon’s body was grey, had a rocky backside, and was as long as half the platform.

The beast roared as Ripto laughed and spoke. “Galactic Kids Next Door, meet my prized monster: the Dodongo Dragon! His hard outer shell makes him indestructible and the perfect one for taking you down!” He hopped onto the dragon’s head and ran to its backside. “Get ready, kiddies. I’m going to CRUSH YOU!” (Play “Dogadon 2” from _Donkey Kong 64_.)

 

_Boss fight: Dodongo Dragon_

The dragon took off into the air and circled over the platform. It shot fireballs at the kids, who quickly dodged. Nigel and Kweeb tried firing their blasters at the beast, but, as Ripto stated, his skin was rock-hard and impenetrable. “Man, this guy’s hard to hit!” Kweeb said after several more shots.

“Wait! If he’s hard on the outside, then what about his inside?” Dib asked.

“Yeah! I bet if we attack his insides, we might be able to do some damage!” Ava replied.

“But how are we going to do that?” Nigel asked.

“No way I’m going in that thing!” Kweeb shouted.

“I bet I could get my Golf Bomb in there!” Dib figured as his backpack became a golf club.

“I don’t think so!” Ripto shouted as he shot a magic blast and destroyed the club.

“Aw, man! It took hours to make that!”

“Now, my dragon: destroy them!” The dragon shot a strange, blue fireball at the operatives. Spyro jumped in front and shot fire at the blue ball, which vanished and released a Cube Wisp that flew to Nigel.

“CUBE!” Nigel hopped into the air and landed with a quake. A small rocket was knocked up out of the ground, which Spyro picked up in his mouth.

“Let’s get a little closer, shall we?” Ripto asked as the Dodongo Dragon flew down and landed on the platform. It then opened its mouth and began to charge its flame.

“NOW, Spyro!” Nigel shouted. The purple dragon fired the rocket into the big dragon’s mouth. The dragon swallowed the rocket, which exploded in its stomach, making it hurt.

“GAH! Curse you, Spyro! How dare you hurt my dragon! I’ll make you pay! Come, Dodongo! Let’s burn these fools!” Ripto exclaimed as the dragon lifted into the air. The dragon backed up until it was hovering over the edge. He then took a deep breath and blew fire along the edge of the platform. The fire became a wall of fire, which then moved along the direction of the heroes.

The team looked around for a gap in the wall until Nigel noticed a green spot. “Hey, what’s that green fire?”

“Mayhap it is my turn.” Luvbi said as she took a huge breath of air and blew out the wall of fire. Once it was gone, a green Wisp with three balls circling below its body came out where the green fire was and flew into Nigel.

Nigel over to the Dodongo Dragon, who was still flying over the edge. “HOVER!” Nigel’s body slowly lifted into the air. He slowly drifted over to the Dodongo Dragon and landed on its head. Once on, he made his way over to Ripto, who shot fire blasts at the bald Brit in an attempt to knock him off, but failed. Nigel made it to and delivered a few punches to Ripto before grabbing on to his scepter. “Give me that!” he shouted, trying to pull it away from the short demon.

“NO!” Ripto shouted before pulling it away from Nigel and blasting him, making him fall off the dragon.

Nigel screamed as he was about to fall in the lava, but stopped when Spyro flew by and caught him on his back. “Phew! Thanks, Spyro!” he said, breathing a sigh of relief.

“No problem! Now, what do you say we give Ripto the old hot foot?”

“Sounds great!”

“Don’t get cocky now, you fools! I still have one more trick up my sleeve! Oh, Dodongo Dragon!” With that, the dragon landed on the platform and hopped up and down on it a few times. The team felt the platform begin to shake and sink. “HA HA HA! In a few moments, you’ll be taking your well-deserved lava bath! Enjoy!”

“Thou forgetest I canst fly!” Luvbi exclaimed.

“Not for long!” Ripto said as he fired a shot at Luvbi and knocked her to the ground.

“AH! My wing! I canst not fly, anymore!”

“We can take him! Come on, Spyro!” Nigel exclaimed.

“You got it!” Spyro began flying after the Dodongo Dragon with Nigel on his back. As the Dodongo Dragon was evading Spyro and Nigel, Ripto was firing shots at the two. At the same time, Nigel was trying to hit Ripto with his blaster. He fired a few shots at Ripto’s feet, making him lose balance and fall, but quickly grab on to the dragon’s side while still holding his scepter.

“Dodongo Dragon: FINISH THEM!” Ripto ordered. The dragon turned to face the two and opened its mouth, beginning to charge for a super flame.

“Oh yeah? Try THIS!” Spyro exclaimed as he took a deep breath and shot a ball of fire which went straight into the Dodongo Dragon’s mouth. The dragon shut his mouth and swallowed it, and he and Ripto began to feel its body rumbling.

“Dodongo Dragon?” Ripto said, worried. In just seconds, the Dodongo Dragon puffed up and exploded, leaving a screaming Ripto to fall and burn in the molten lava, along with the scepter. The sinking platform the others were on immediately stopped. (End song.)

The Red Star rose out of the lava in one piece shortly after. It flew over to Luvbi and sprinkled her, making her wings heal. Afterwards, the Star shot up into the sky and back to the Star Sanctuary. Spyro and Nigel landed back onto the platform.

“Whew! That was close!” Nigel said, relieved.

“Pretty sweet flying, Spyro!” Kweeb complimented.

“Aw, it was nothin’. That’s what we dragons do: fly!”

“So, how do we get out of here?” Ava asked. As if on cue, an archway with an image of the team’s ships rose out of the ground.

“The gods of Avalar smile upon us.” Kweeb shrugged.

“Wanna come with us, Spyro?” Nigel asked.

“Nah, no thanks. I just wanna relax on this planet. Not get caught up in some war.”

“We understand.” Nigel complied. “But if you change your mind; we’ll come down and visit sometime.”

“Be looking forward to it!”

“ALL RIGHT!” Dib screamed enthusiastically. “We got five outta the Seven Stars! I can’t WAIT to see those Irkens-” He was silenced, as another piano fell on top of him.

Up above, the Vreedle Brothers were soaring overhead. “We’re sorry, friend!” Octagon yelled.

“Better you than me.” Kweeb commented.

“Come on, let’s go.” Nigel said. Dib helped himself out of the piano, making accordion sounds and movements, as they all headed through the archway portal. From a distance, the mariachi band played their usual music.

“And so, the team and Spyro parted ways, and their adventure goes on. Together, they headed back to the base to prepare for the next challenge that awaited. What challenge may that be, you ask? Find out next time when we-” The band leader stopped when they felt the ground begin to shake. In an instant, the platform sank the rest of the way into the lava, and burned the mariachi band, as they shot up into the sky like rockets, screaming.

 

**The fifth boss is defeated. Next time, some stuff will happen. The Dodongo Dragon comes from _How To Train Your Dragon_ , only there, he was referred to as Red Death.**


	18. Unexpected Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nigel goes on a vacation to Aquaria. There, they meet an aspiring little pirate.

**Yay, we’re back! Here, some stuff will happen and we should get to the next planet next time. Start!**

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Chapter 18: Unexpected Vacation

_**

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**Numbuh 10’s House**

Eva Roberts was shocked. The redheaded news anchor’s mouth drooped open in speechlessness. Numbuh 11.0 had told her everything. “So, that’s where he is.” she finally spoke. Kade nodded. Eva stood up, staring through her window to the starry sky. “Fighting to save the universe in some faraway galaxy.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Kade replied.

Eva then turned to him, curiously. “Kade, how long did you know about this?”

“Uhhh, I think it was a few days before he left.”

“What?” she replied, sounding angry. “You knew all this time and you never told me?”

“Eva, I’m sorry. It’s just-”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” she was fuming now. “I could’ve been there! I could’ve been there to say good-bye! If I knew someone important to me was going to go away for a long time and might never come back, don’t you think I’d want to say good-bye?!”

“I knew that, Eva! It’s just-”

“Just what?! Some scientists’ code? Some little code you and your dorky friends came up with that involves keeping really big secrets from your best friend that involves someone they care about?!” she spoke very fast, voice full of hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me, Kade?”

“Because of Dimentia!”

She rose an eyebrow in surprise. “Who?”

“Numbuh 256, Dimentia. The GKND’s Supreme Leader. When Numbuh 74.239 and the scientists told me about this, and not to tell anyone, I told them that I’d tell only you and no one else. When their leader heard this, she came down and said that if I told you, she’d have us both decommissioned, and I really didn’t want us to forget each other. You’re my best friend, Eva. (Not to mention probably the only girl who knows I exist!)”

“…Then… why are you telling me now?”

“Because… I couldn’t stand to see you this upset anymore. I just want you to be happy.”

She gave a weak smile. “Well… thanks for being a good friend, anyway.”

“So, you’re not mad?”

She walked over and gave him a warming hug. “No. I don’t think I’d want to forget you, either.” After seconds had passed, she let go and looked out the window. “Still… My cousin serving in the Galactic Kids Next Door. Boy, do I ever feel sorry for making gossip about him. He didn’t deserve it.”

Kade chuckled. “I’ll tell you who does deserve it: Dimentia! When I first saw her, I was like, ‘Hey! Who’s the creepy clown with the weird face?’”

Eva couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Was she really that freaky-looking?”

“Totally! You should’ve seen her fashion sense! I’m not really too into that stuff, but I’ve seen better!”

She laughed again. “Well, you’ve certainly gotten better with the jokes. So, you… wanna go get that pizza?”

“Don’t I always?? Best friend foreva’?”

“Foreva’ and EVA’??”

“My name’s not Eva!!” he yelled. Numbuh 10 gave a joyous laugh, and the two raced out of the house.

The shadow being, from under the bed still, flew up out of the window and back into space. He drew out his sword and said to it, “I guess it’s true what they say, Exor: love conquers all. But now I fear that those two will be in great trouble if Dimentia finds out.” He chuckled. “How ironic is it that I of all spirits would fear something?”

Oddly enough, the sword, Exor, looked at him and replied, “Why do you always have to bring me along? You have other minions.”

“Well, you’re the only one who’s light enough for me to carry!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, but aren’t you afraid of what people might think if they see you talking to an inanimate object?”

“It adds in to the mysterious effect, okay?!” _Ugh. It’s times like this I wish I had Demise’s old sword. Hmm… I hope I never see HIM again…_

**The _Massive_**

The Almighty Tallest were sitting on their couch, eating snacks and watching a rather stupid program. _“We now return to Captain Green and the Eco Teens.”_

_Captain Green and the Eco Teens!_

_Pickin’ up trash and recyclin’ things!_

_Doin’ our chores! Huggin’ a tree!_

_Solvin’ problems NONVIOLENTLY!_

“This show isn’t real, is it?” Purple asked.

“No, someone’s just making a joke.” Red replied.

“That’s good.”

Just then, their two robotic minions flew in. “Sirs: we just received a report from our spy about Ripto.” Orbot reported.

“Let me guess: he got beat?” Red guessed, an unsurprised furrow in his eyes.

“Yes. But on the bright side, the boss fight was slightly better than the one with Francis!”

“Man, that Number 1 stole every Star from us left and right! If only there’s something we can do about him.”

“Did the spy find out any weaknesses?” Purple asked.

“Well, not directly, but she did tell us about this girl he seems to have a crush on. I think her name was… Rachel T. McKenzie?” Orbot replied.

“What’s the ‘T’ stand for?” Purple asked.

Orbot and Cubot exchanged glances and shrugged.

“Still, I am intrigued.” Red said. “Is she with the Earth Kids Next Door?”

“Yeah, accordin’ to our spy, she’s Supreme Leader Numbuh 362 or some shiz.” Cubot replied in his trash-talky voice. “Y’know, the person who gives the orders and if they don’t do what she says, she gives ‘em the business, with a little of WHOOP, and a little o’ DAT, know what I’m sayin’?”

“That’s good enough for me. Computer: hack into the Earth KND’s files and find the operative called ‘Number 362.’”

 _“Understood. Hacking into files now.”_ A little scanner appeared on their screen upon their request.

“Is it THAT easy to hack into some planet’s computer network?” Purple asked.

“We’re adults, Purple.” Red said with a smile. “It’s our job to interfere with kids’ personal business. No matter how high-techy they think they are.” 

The TV screen soon showed an image of the blonde Supreme Leader, along with a little description. _“Numbuh 362, aka Rachel T. McKenzie, is the KND’s Supreme Leader, tagged to be leader after Numbuh 274 turned traitor. Before, she worked for the KND as their top spy, and she has a little brother by the name of Harvey, whom is Numbuh 363 of Sector W.”_

“Yeah, yeah, details, details, but what does the ‘T’ stand for?” Purple asked.

_“Data of middle initial ‘T’ is unknown.”_

“Unknown? But she has to have a middle name. How can you have a middle initial without the actual name? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?”

“Forget it, Purple. If what our spy says is true, then Number 1 must have feelings for this girl.”

“So, what do you propose we do?” Orbot asked.

“I propose we kidnap her and make Nigel give us the Stars if he wants her to live!”

“Hold her up for ransom? How or-RI-GIN-al!” Purple replied, sarcastically.

“Hey, it may be overused, but it works. Call the Star Wolf Team and tell them to-” He was interrupted when the screen started to beep.

_“Incoming message from Zim.”_

“ZIM?” the Tallest chorused, curious.

The Irken in question appeared onscreen. _“Greetings, my Tallest. Sorry to call unannounced, but there seems to be a slight problem. It seems, by some sort of prank, that I was added to your most wanted list, and it might be best to change it before some soldiers get the wrong idea.”_

Red then pressed a button on his wrist, projecting an image of the wanted list. “Oh! Well, isn’t THAT odd?” Purple said in a sarcastic tone. “You aren’t supposed to be there!”

“No doubt, the pranks of those GKND.” Red replied, playing along. “We’re sorry for the misunderstanding, Zim. We’ll get that fixed!” he said as they both tried to cover up small chuckles.

 _“Hehehe. I knew there was an explanation.”_ Zim replied, relieved. _“Well, I’ll just be off to kill that human now.”_

Red then formulated an idea. “Uh, WAIT, actually, Zim… we have a little mission for you.”

 _“A mission?!”_ He smiled in delight.

“Yeah. We want you to return to Earth and capture the human called ‘Rachel T. McKenzie.’”

_“What’s the-”_

“Don’t ask. Here’s a picture of her.” Red said as Rachel’s image appeared onscreen. “You see, Number 1 appears to have feelings for this Earth girl, so we want to trade her for the Stars.”

“And what better invader to kidnap her than YOU, Zim?” Purple asked, while still chuckling under his breath.

 _“No problem! This human isn’t a match for ZIM! Rest assured, my Tallest, I will not fail! Invader Zim SIGNING OFF!”_ With that, the screen switched off.

“Boy, that guy will fall for anything!” Red exclaimed.

“A brilliant jester,” Orbot applauded, “but may I ask what this may accomplish?”

“It will accomplish getting rid of Zim! We’ll wait for Zim to get his butt kicked by the Earth KND, and then we’ll send the Star Wolf Team down there to catch Rachel. Two birds with one stone!”

“Or in this case, two annoying brats!” Purple exclaimed. And with that, the two Tallest burst into maniacal laughter.

**GKND H.Q.**

It was once again lunchtime in GKND H.Q.. That team of top operatives were sitting at their usual spot, a little disappointed Spyro couldn’t join. “It’s too bad. He was kinda nice.” Kweeb said.

“Well, we’ll make do. After all, plenty of operatives to help us if we’re in a jam.” Nigel figured.

“Though some I prefer over others.” Ava said, looking at Dimentia chatting with her henchmen. “I wonder what she’s talking about?”

With Dimentia and her Magiblots, the leader asked, “So, how’s work on the machine coming along?”

“Not too good.” Blue replied. “We’re a few containers of Nega Wisps short.”

“But there aren’t any more Nega Wisps.”

“Actually, I think the remaining Nega Wisps made their way to Nightmare Land.” Red replied.

“Of course. The one place where they know they’re safe from me. Very well then. We’ll just have to make more.”

“How can we make more without any of these guys finding out?” Yellow asked.

Dimentia thought for a minute and smiled. “We’ll just make sure they aren’t around. And I have the perfect plan!” With that, she flew to the top of her statue and generated a microphone. “May I have everyone’s attention!” she called into it, gaining everyone’s attention. “Perfect! Now, as you may know, we now have 5 out of the Seven Star Pieces thanks to the works of Number 1 and his teammates!”

“That’s _Numbuh_ 1!” Nigel shouted from a distance.

“Whatever. Anyway, each of you has done a marvelous job fighting against adult tyranny these past few days. So, I’ve decided to let everyone have a mini-vacation!” This announcement earned cheers from everyone and a curious look from Nigel. “That’s right! Everyone here can have a vacation to a planet of their choosing. (As long as it’s not under Irken control.) Then we will resume business once the weekend is over. So, everyone enjoy their vacations!” She flew back down to the Magiblots, as the cafeteria erupted with discussions on where they should go.

“Wow! We actually get a vacation!” Dib exclaimed.

“I don’t understand. Why would Dimentia give everyone a vacation suddenly?” Nigel questioned.

“Come on, Nigel. Everyone needs some time off. You don’t wanna be a workaholic, do ya?” Ava replied with a smirk.

“…Yeah, I guess.”

“So, where should we go?” Kweeb asked.

“I say we go to Planet Aquaria! It’s the prettiest vacation place in Galaxia and I don’t think too many Irkens hang around it!” Ava suggested, an excited smile on her face.

“But soft. Is the planet not completely drenched in water? Prithee me, ‘tis not called Planet Aquaria for not.” Luvbi said.

“Actually, no it isn’t.” Ava replied. “The planet does have a few deserted islands on it, believe it or not. We just find an island that looks good, land on it, and just sit back and relax!”

“Sounds good to me.” Dib agreed.

“Me too!” Kweeb agreed; the picture of Ava in a swimsuit forming in his mind. Luvbi and Nigel shortly agreed, too.

“Great! But I have to go do something first, so I’ll meet you later.” With that, the white alien ran off in a hurry.

“I’d still like to know where she goes.” Kweeb said.

“Maybe she has a bladder problem?” Dib thought.

“I don’t know. There’s something odd about her.” Nigel said, suspicious.

“Ah, it can’t be that bad. Let’s just finish our lunches and be on our way. Who knows, maybe we’ll find Zim there!” Dib exclaimed.

**Star Haven**

The Wisps were happily drifting around the Dream River, taking small sips of the water. Their happiness was short-lived however, as the moment they drank the water, they immediately morphed into the demonic Nega Wisps. They heard a chuckle and looked up to see Dimentia floating above them. They roared and instantly charged to the freak-faced leader, who instantly trapped them in a block barrier.

“And so I trap you like hamsters in a cage.” she said, victoriously. The Magiblots shortly appeared.

“Now, we just need one more container’s worth, right?” Red asked.

“That’s right. And with everyone on vacation, no one will know!”

“That reminds me,” Blue began, “how are we gonna get our daily drinks if Jirachi’s not here?”

“Don’t worry. He, Gabe, and Jeremy went off to the Sea Slide. When it’s time for our drink, we’ll go to get him.”

“Okay, but what should we do about the teenagers in the prison hold?”

“Leave them be. No doubt they’ll be missed just like Uno, so we’ll shed more tears.”

“Speaking of which, you… might wanna take a look at the KNN News team.” suggested Red.

“Why’s that?”

“A certain chubby boy spilled the beans.” With that, Red took out Dimentia’s mirror, and showed a vision of Kade Jackson telling Numbuh 10 about GKND.

“NO!” she exclaimed in anger. “Why that no good… When I get through with that traitor, he’s gonna be VERY…” She calmed down slowly. “No… Calm down, Dimentia. It doesn’t matter if there’s one less sad person. As long as all the others are still sad, you can still be the happy-go-lucky Zathurian you’ve always been. I mean, it’s not like _Eva Roberts_ can do anything that may cost you dearly. She’s not even a field operative.”

“Yeah, but she is the anchorwoman.” Yellow replied. “How do you know she won’t just tell everyone?”

“Because if she values her friendship with Kade, neither of them will spill to anyone else. After all, love is a strong thing. Neither of them would do anything that may harm the other. For now, we’ll just wait ‘til we have the Star Rod. _Then I’ll deal with both of them.”_

**Planet Aquaria**

“Boy, it sure was nice of Dimentia to give us all a little mini vacation!” Dib said as he lay on the sand. He and the rest of the main group were currently resting on the beach of a jungle-filled island on the ocean-filled planet. “And Ava picked a great spot!” He and the rest of the team were in swimsuits. Dib wore grayish-blue swim trunks with black lines on the sides. Nigel was in his usual red swim trunks; it made him miss hanging out with Numbuh 10 at Sector J. Luvbi wore a yellow one-piece, Kweeb was in red swim shorts (obviously matching his size), and Ava was in a purple two-piece.

“I still don’t see why Dimentia would give everyone time off suddenly.” Nigel said.

“Oh, come on, Nigel. Everyone needs time off, and Dimentia isn’t THAT cruel!” replied Ava as she put on some sunscreen.

Kweeb, who sat beside Ava, couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed as she rubbed the lotion around her waist. _Come on, I know I’m supposed to be ten years old, but come oooooon, is it wrong for a boy to like girls so bad?_ he thought to himself.

Ava slowed down on her sunscreen, glancing down to see Kweeb staring beautifully at her. A smirk appeared on her face. “Oh, Kweeb?”

Kweeb shook. “Yeah?”

“I have a little trouble getting the lotion between my toes.” she said as she wiggled her toes. “Could you help me?”

“Eeeehhh…” Kweeb seemed to be feeling hotter. At his size, the sun’s rays were amplified, so he didn’t fair well on hot planets. …He _assumed_ that’s why he was so hot. Though staring at Ava made him feel a little sweat. ’Course, he didn’t see any harm in doing her this little favor. “Okay…”

 _“HmhmHMHMhmhmhmhm!”_ Ava held in a giggle.

Nigel smiled and rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Well, while you do that, I’ll just go for a little walk.” he said as he walked away.

“Yeah, give ‘em some private time.” Dib smirked, following him.

“Ha HA!” Luvbi exclaimed, flying up to them. “Kweeb’s teeny cheeks art fire as he succumbs to thy figure! Pray tell, Kweeb: hast thou the strongest urge to climb and rest upon her chest?” She smirked.

Kweeb stopped rubbing lotion on Ava’s toes, blushing like crazy. “Uh… I-”

“Oh, Kweeb! How simple it is to tweak thy chin!”

“Come on, Luvbi, leave the little guy alone.” Ava defended. “He’s just being a really sweet friend!”

“Yea, verily, but all best friendships between a male and female eventually turn to more.”

Ava blushed, too. “Now, wait a second! I-”

“GUYS!” The team looked over to see Nigel and Dib running back toward them.

“What’s going on?” Ava asked.

“We ran into trouble!” Nigel answered.

“WAH!” Both screamed when a laser blast suddenly hit the ground behind them.

“Oi, grab ‘em, you bloke!” Behind them, two robotic pirates; each with a hook hand, gun-hand, black boots, one green eye, an empty eye socket, and red vests, marched up. “Their bounty be good as ours!”

“These simple landlubbers be enjoyin’ their time.” The other pirate said. “We’ll show ‘em to be fish outta space!”

“Galactic Kids Next Door, battle stations!” At Nigel’s call, Ava whipped out her swords, getting to her feet as Kweeb pulled out his Tri-gun. They dodged as the pirates blasted lasers, with Nigel shooting his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. at the left one, while Ava clashed her swords with the second one’s hook. While she occupied him, Kweeb climbed up its leg, to his head, and into the empty eye socket. In seconds, the pirate was shaking uncontrollably before its head came off. The other pirate shot the ground before Nigel, blowing him backward, but Dib got behind the pirate, his mech-arms ready as he gripped the robot’s legs, swung him around, and sent him to the ocean.

“Well, that sure was random.” Ava said, sheathing her blades.

“Why d’you think they’re here?” Kweeb asked.

“Dost thou wish to ask?” Luvbi said as she indicated other pirates, walking the other way down the beach.

“Maybe there’s buried treasure!” Dib exclaimed, excited.

“Buried alien candies!” Ava said dreamily, eyes brimming with desire.

“Or someone in trouble.” Nigel said in his usual serious tone.

“No dream gold for thee?” Luvbi questioned.

Nigel sighed. “Let’s just follow them.” (Play the “Cannon Cluster” theme from _Donkey Kong Returns_.)

 

_Stage 13: Sunny Island_

_Mission: Find out where the pirates are going._

The operatives began their venture on the beach, still in their swimsuits. A couple of crabs emerged from the sand, and one of them snipped Nigel’s toe with its claw. “Ooow!” He immediately kicked the crab into the water. _No matter what anyone says, I will always hate crabs_ , he thought.

Kweeb, meanwhile, had a bigger quarrel with a crab, as it was the size of a house to his view, and it kept trying to snap him in his huge claw. Kweeb flipped and dodged the claw and shot the crab in its eyes, blinding it as Kweeb ran by. They went farther down the beach, and three robo-pirates suddenly came up from the sand using hand-drills. They began to shoot the kids, but they dodged quickly as Ava threw her swords at one’s chest, then called them back. Luvbi flew right in front of one, and he aimed his gun to shoot her, but Luvbi blew a wind blast and redirected the gun at his face.

Nigel was about to throw a N.I.N.S.T.A.R. at another pirate, but the robot spun his drill and immediately retreated underground. Nigel kept his weapon raised, keeping an eye out for the pirate, when the rusty swabbie suddenly reemerged from below the water. He noticed he was standing in the water and suddenly began to spark. “Yaaaarr, methinks diggin’ holes throughout a water planet not be our best idea.” With that, he fainted.

The group continued to an area with many mounds of sand, and Snap Crabs climbed out of almost each of them. The crabs had a desire for nipping, as they crawled over in attempt to nip the barefoot operatives. The kids either grabbed and threw, or kicked the crabs out into the sea as they continued forward. They came to a big, rocky wall that obstructed their path, and a Snap Crab was holding tight to a Drill Wisp’s tentacle with its pincher. Nigel shot the crab, and the Yellow Wisp absorbed into his body. He figured he had to drill down to get past the wall, but they could’ve walked around it in the water. However, they saw two hungry sharks, with knives and forks, grinning as they stared at the operatives, so Nigel decided to drill underneath.

“DRILL!” He burrowed beneath the ground, and the operatives watched as sand started to seep through the hole he created. In seconds, they were pulled in (with Luvbi flying after them), taking land beside Nigel in an underground cavern. Small amounts of sand poured in from the ceiling as they walked through, having to kick away more Snap Crabs as they came. They jumped up a few stairs and encountered five robo-pirates that emerged from the ground. Nigel, not wanting to waste too much time, called Mr. Zurkon.

 _“Mr. Zurkon does not have TIME for vacation. Mr. Zurkon must KILL.”_ The little robot began to blast missiles at the first pirate, while Dib began pounding another pirate with his mech-arms. Ava blocked with her blades as the third pirate blasted energy balls, then zipped over to cut its cannon, then slice its legs. Luvbi used a whirlwind to make a pirate spin around in place, and Mr. Zurkon blasted it while it was spinning. _“Mr. Zurkon is glad to help floating wind angel to KILL.”_

“Pray, doth not be so high-strung.” Luvbi said.

Nigel dodged the last pirate as it swung its hook hand, then kicked the rusty deckhand over the edge behind him, sending him down a slippery sand slope with a Tetramite hive at the bottom. The robot frantically tried to climb its way up, but the hungry bugs skittered out and made dinner out of the robot. The cave’s exit was on the other side of the sandy whirlpool, but the sand was too slippery to avoid the Tetramites.

There was a long gap in the wall on their right, leading to a small opening with Breegus Nectar. Nigel stuck his fingers in the gap and held tight as he climbed over and reached the cave, using the A.B.S.O.R.B.O. to suck in the nectar. He fired some down onto the sand whirlpool, and the Tetramites crawled out to immediately dine on the substance. Nigel and the others jumped down and traversed the sandy slope as quick as they could, and Nigel shot another glob of nectar to keep them busy. They made it to the cave’s exit and were back on the beach, hurrying across as more Snap Crabs came out to nip them.

They easily kicked the crabs away and kept down the beach. They appeared to be closing in on a group of pirates; in which two of them were holding a struggling person by the wrists as they dragged her along. (End song.)

This strange person looked to be a brownish-orange raccoon girl, with a green shirt, black shorts, green sandals with brown straps, and two pigtails. “’ey, let me go, ya big bunch o’ drongos! Don’tcha want a piece o’ Cap’n Marine??” The raccoon exclaimed in a strong Australian accent.

“Quiet, you brat! You’re comin’ with us!” shouted one of the robots.

“Ol’ Razorbeard will be happy to see you.” another said.

“Guess again!” Nigel shouted, surprising the pirates as the GKND raised their weapons.

“Hey, who’re you kids?”

“Wait! Isn’t that Nigel Uno?”

“Aye! That be the snot-nosed kid Tak warned us about!”

“TAK?” Nigel, Ava, and Dib exclaimed.

“Aye, today must be our lucky day, gents! Let’s roust these wee seeds an’ haul ‘em back to the ship!” With that, the robots charged to attack.

Nigel and Kweeb charged forward and began firing, with one of the pirates trying to whack Kweeb with its hook. Ava used her dual-swords to hold back two pirates’ hook-hands, throwing her arms downward, and making them slump down as she flipped and kicked both their heads to the ground. Dib grabbed and hurled some away with his mech gloves, allowing Luvbi to blow some in the water, making them short-circuit.

Ava ran up to another robot and was able to cut its head off. The robot’s body collapsed and exploded afterwards. The explosion released a light-blue Wisp which flew over to Nigel for him to absorb. “Let’s try this one out! SPEED!” With that, Nigel began to charge into the robots at high speed. He spun into a ball and began bouncing off and destroying all the remaining robots. Soon, they were all gone as the Color Power wore off.

With that done, Nigel went to help up the raccoon girl. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked.

She slowly opened her eyes. “That… was… RIPPER!” she shouted, immediately jumping back to her feet in an excited fashion. “I ‘aven’t seen someone move that fast since I last saw that blue hedgehog a while back, eh!” She began to examine the bald Brit, and even bonked him on the head a couple times. “Oi, blimey. Wot’s with the coconut head o’ yours, eh?”

Nigel shook his head and nudged her away. “Who are you?” (Play Linebeck’s Theme from _Zelda: Phantom Hourglass_.)

Marine shook her head in utter surprise. “Who am I? WHO AM I?” She jumped on top of a rock, making all sorts of poses as she spoke: “I am the greatest adventurer space has ever seen! I am the greatest and youngest captain ever to sail the stars! I am…” she twirled around rapidly, “CAPTAIN MARINE! Adventurer of adventurers! Captain of the fabled Raccoon Pirates!”

“The Raccoon Pirates?” Ava asked.

“Err… Ah’m the only one, currently.” she said, half-embarrassed. Her serious, sure-hearted look returned, “Oi am a top-wanted pirate that sails the stars, and will not rest until Oi find the legendary TREASUH of the SEA.”

The operatives didn’t look very impressed. “Aaaaand that would be?…” Ava questioned.

“Oi dunno.” Marine shrugged. “But tha’s the beauty o’ adventures. Ya never know wot things’re gonna be, or how it’s gonna turn out. THAT’S why I hate the Internet spoilers.” she said with a hateful look. “Ta not know wot’s gonna happen… ta keep ya guessin’ for more. THAT’S real adventure, Mate. BUT enough about obvious logic!” She shook her head, facing the group with an excited smile. “You blokes look like a RILEY bunch, eh? Wot’s your story?” she asked, flipping off the rock and landing perfectly on her feet.

“Ah-he-hem.” Nigel coughed. “We’re the Galactic Kids Next Door. Ever heard of us?”

“Ehhh? I mighta heard some things ‘boutcha.” she said with a quizzical look. “Some things slip my moind. What were your names, again?”

“I’m Numbuh 1, or Nigel Uno. This is Ava. She’s from Glomour.” Nigel introduced. Marine walked over to Ava curiously and pulled on her ears.

“You ‘ave big ears!” she shouted.

“Ow!” Ava yelped, pulling away. “And they WORK, just so ya know.” she said annoyed, rubbing her ears.

“That’s Dib. He’s a human who came here looking for an Irken called Zim.”

She walked over and examined Dib next. “Oi, Ah haven’t seen too many humans, but not one of them ‘as a head as big as yours!” Dib merely looked in annoyance.

“That’s Luvbi, from Skypia.” Marine went over and excitedly yanked on Luvbi’s wings.

“OW! Keep thy filthy mitts off my wings!”

“Uh, mate?” Marine turned to Nigel. “You sure this is an angel?”

“I never said she was. Anyway, the tiny alien is Kweeb. He’s from Kateenia.”

She bent down, picked up the tiny alien, and shook him frantically. “Oi, you’re no bigger than my thumb!”

“Heeeey!” Marine stopped, and Kweeb looked dizzy.

“Well, that’s good introductions.” Marine said as Kweeb hopped off her hand. “But on ta more important mattuhs: you blokes are trespassin’ on my land!” Her eyes furrowed. “This be claimed territory o’ the Raccoon Pirates.”

“Uh, sorry.” Nigel replied sheepishly. “We’ll just-”

“Ah, relax, mate! Mah island’s your island! Just make yourselves at home!” she said with a friendly smile.

“Hey, Marine, who were those guys attacking you?” Ava asked.

“Oh, those mates? Well, while trying to set up a home on this here island, Ah ran into a nasty bunch o’ robo-pirates tryin’ to make off with some loot. So, I just thought I’d go ahead and rummage their ship, eh? Now, those blokes are all over me. But they ‘aven’t captured me, yet!”

“Well, they almost did today.” Nigel reminded.

“Aw, come on, mate! Ah could’ve handled them on me own! Ah’m not just some random raccoon kid on a wee ship sailin’ through space! Check THIS out!” She shot her fist at a nearby tree and fired a strange energy ball from her fist. She shot several more punches and fired more shots. The others gaped in surprise. “Brilliant, eh? Ah don’t know why, but I was born with this power. And Ah can do loads of stuff with it, eh?”

“It’s pretty impressive!” Nigel complimented. “’Course, it must be an alien thing.”

“Well, I’m what’s called a Mobian, and no Mobian I know can do that. ’ey, now that you’re ’ere, ’ow about Ah show you to my hoideout?”

“Your hideout?” Nigel questioned.

“Yep! Ah claimed this territory, so I figured I’d set up a li’l base. I got a ripper submarine, mate! It can go to the Underwater City?”

“Underwater City?” Nigel questioned again, suddenly curious.

Marine chuckled. “Come on, mates! Let me show you!” With that, they followed the young raccoon captain into the jungle.

 

**That’s good enough for a cliffhanger, I guess. Marine the Raccoon comes from _Sonic Rush Adventure_. You may recall her as the raccoon who had little importance and the reason she’s in here is to give her a bigger role. The robo-pirates come from _Rayman 2: The Great Escape_. Captain Green and the Eco Teens come from _Fairly OddParents_. Marine may also be the second-to-last partner in this story. Next time, we’ll see where she’s taking us.**


	19. Rachel vs. Zim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nigel enters the Underwater City. Meanwhile, Rachel is ambushed.

**Hi, we’re back, and we’re actually going to spend quite a bit of time on this planet. That’s because some rather major events are going to happen in other planets. Starting with a certain Supreme Leader. Let us begin.**

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Chapter 19: Rachel vs. Zim

_**

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**McKenzie Household**

It was a quiet night at the McKenzie Household. The Sector W leader, Harvey McKenzie was quietly sitting on the couch, bored as he watched _Captain Green and the Eco Teens_. On the screen, it looked like Captain Green was holding a person’s severed head.

 _“Remember kids,”_ he spoke, _“don’t litter! OR I’LL F# &KING KILL YOU!”_

“I suddenly want to see more of this show.” Harvey said to himself. Just then, he noticed Rachel coming in the doorway, and ran up to her excitedly. “Hey, Sis! Wanna hear how I defeated The Rhymer??”

“Not now, Harvey. I’m not in the mood.” she replied, depressedly.

Harvey was silent for a moment, slightly angered. “You’re not STILL thinking about that baldheaded weirdo, are you? When are you going to let it go?”

She sighed. “I just can’t, Harvey. I mean, it’s my fault he left. He really wanted that cake mission.”

“Sis, if that was the problem, then it’s _my_ fault. I’m the one that talked you into kicking him off. But I still don’t think it’s why he left.”

“Then why did he leave?”

“I don’t know. But let me ask you something: if he were here, what would he say?”

“I don’t understand…”

“I mean, would he want you to be all sad and depressed like this?”

“I… guess not.”

“If he were here, wouldn’t he be telling you to smile and not to worry too much about stuff like this?”

“That does sound like something he would say.”

“Yeah, and listen, Sis, I may not like him, but if I learned anything from spying on you two, it’s that he cares about you a lot and wouldn’t leave you behind without a good reason.”

“Hmmm…” Harvey did seem to have a point, she thought. Even if Nigel was angry at her… she doesn’t think she’d leave because of that. He still cared about his friends and family, and he would never leave them all because of her, without good reason. It still rose questions on where he is, but she felt a little better. “Thanks, Bro. But I’d still like to know where he is.”

“Ah, that can wait. Hey, wanna play _Mario Kart_?”

“No thanks. I kinda wanna get to bed.”

“Okay.” He moaned. “Good night, Sis.” With that, Rachel walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

As she closed the door, about to get in bed, she looked up and gasped at something on the ceiling. It was a strange green alien with big, bulgy eyes and… a dress?

“Hello, Rachel.” Zim said as he dropped to the floor and charged to attack her. As he ran to her, he was met with a foot in the chest and a kick back to the wall. He recovered slowly and attempted to charge to the Supreme Leader again, but was quickly knocked back by a spin-kick.

“Alright! Who are you, what planet are you from, and why are you in my house?!” she asked, angrily.

Rather than answer, Zim hopped off the wall and tried to hit her with an air kick, but the blonde leader immediately grabbed his leg and banged him on the floor before throwing him back to the wall. She quickly drew her Yield Staff and began punching the alien with the punching glove side before he could recover.

“WAIT- OW! If you could just- OW! Just listen to me for- OW! Stop hitting m- OW, OW, OW, OW! I KNOW WHERE NIGEL UNO IS!”

She immediately stopped. “Huh?”

Once her guard was down, Zim quickly drew out a gun and shot a dart at her neck, making her faint. “Phew! Good thing I bought the Shirshu dart gun. Foolish human baby leader! You put up a good fight, but no one is a match for ZIM!”

Once the fighting stopped, GIR came out from under the bed. “Awww. I wanted her to show the little spinning thingy.”

“Come on, GIR. Help me tie up this body, so we can-” Zim stopped when he looked to see Harvey McKenzie standing in the doorway, with a look of utter shock. “Uh-oh.” Harvey immediately tried to run. Zim chased after him and tackled him down the staircase.

“AH! Get off me! Don’t touch me!” Harvey screamed as he tried to kick Zim off.

“Gah! Foolish talking beaver! GIR! Get me some duct tape!”

“YES, MY LORD!” GIR yelled from the stairs. The robot flew into the kitchen to look for some duct tape. “Let’s see…” GIR thoroughly checked several drawers for some duct tape. In the background, the sounds of screaming, scratching and biting could be heard.

_“AH! Alien germs!”_

_“AH! Human germs!”_

“Ah, here it is!” GIR smiled as he finally found the tape. He flew back and tossed it to Zim, who quickly taped Harvey’s mouth.

**A few minutes later…**

Soon, Harvey was strapped to a chair, almost completely covered in duct tape. Zim was merciful enough to leave his nose uncovered. Harvey watched as the alien and robot dragged his sister’s unconscious body down the stairs and tried to break free.

“Sorry to do this, beaver sibling,” Zim said, “but something about your sister fascinates the Tallest. But just so you won’t feel lonely, here.” With that, Zim pulled out a radio and pushed a button. The following song began to play.

_Twinkle, twinkle, Patrick Star!_

_I made myself a sandwich._

_My mommy named it Fred._

_It tastes like beans and bacon_

_And smells like it’s been dead._

Zim laughed as Harvey struggled to break free, but failed. “Enjoy your night, Harvey-baby!” With that, Zim and GIR left with Rachel’s body and boarded his ship, which took off for space, leaving Harvey to endure the torture of the song.

_I have a head. It ENDS in a point._

_Pointy, pointy, point. Pointy, pointy, point._

_PU, what’s that horrible smell?_

_This song is over. Except for this line:_

_You win this round: BROCCOLIIIIII!_

Harvey fainted.

**Planet Aquaria**

_Stage 12: Sunny Island, Act 2_

_Mission: Follow Marine through the jungle._

The GKND ops followed the raccoon lass through a sunny jungle through tall, thick shrubs. To Nigel and Ava, it felt like Flora again, only more tropical. Kweeb was a little worried, keeping a tight hold on Ava’s shoulder to avoid falling to the shrub-covered ground. He knew these jungles were crawling with vicious, hungry bugs that would _love_ fresh Kateenian; and if he fell, his friends might take a while to find him in these shrubs, and may step on him in the process.

Speaking (or thinking) of Planet Flora, M. Bushes suddenly came to life and leapt at them with sharp fangs, but Nigel and Ava easily kept them away with their blaster and swords. As they passed under a coconut tree, Marine said, “’ere, mates, ‘ave a drink!” as she shot a Light Sphere up at a coconut to knock it down. It bonked Dib in the head, and the bighead became dizzy. “Ha ha ha! Classic!” They came to a wide trench with a long, withered tree on the other side. The tree had a dent around its bottom, so Marine launched a Light Sphere at the spot and made the tree topple over, serving as a bridge for them to cross.

After balancing across the fallen log, a couple of Snap Crabs came out, once again itching to snap them, but Marine helped to kick them away. “Oi, those things are a nuisance ‘round here, eh?” They came to a small oasis with a smaller waterfall pouring inside. Marine dove under the water, using her raccoon tail as a propeller to swim, and they watched as she went into a cave beneath the waterfall. They dove in after her, in which Luvbi held onto Nigel and Kweeb held onto Ava, swimming through the short tunnel before reaching an underground cave, where they resurfaced.

“Doesn’t it seem like we come into too many of these underground caves?” Ava asked.

“Ehh.” Dib shrugged.

“Ta me mates, it’s still a new adventure.” Marine said with a spirited smile.

They walked to a center platform over a river, and four robo-pirates appeared on four pillars around the room. Marine punched Light Spheres at one while Nigel and Kweeb shot their own. Nigel noticed one of the pillars was weak, so he threw a grenade to blow it up and sentence the robot to drowning. The other robots were quickly defeated, so they could progress. The kids were viewing a long trench over a river 30 feet below. There were several hooks hanging from the ceiling. “Hehehe! Get ready to be amazed, mates! Oh, but ya might wanna hold onto me.”

Nigel held onto Marine, Ava held him and Kweeb, Dib held her, and Luvbi held no one because she could fly. “Watch THIS!” Marine fired a Light Sphere at the first hook, and a Light Chain formed. They screamed as they swung, with Dib barely missing the river as piranhas jumped out. Marine shot Light Spheres at the following hooks and kept swinging, and a piranha latched its teeth onto Dib’s rear. “Yeah, I saw that coming.”

They exited the cave and returned to the jungle. They had to cross a rickety bridge over more jungle. A flock of colorful birds took flight from the trees, surrounding the kids in a rainbow of feathers. They heard mariachi music, and the musical owls were seen on a platform, lifted up by four birds via ropes. “Relax, amigos, we are happily paying them for the service. No slavery is involved.” the lead owl said.

“Aye, these birds are a beauty, eh?” Marine said. “That lets ya know we’re gettin’ close!”

“Hey, Marine, if those robots mentioned Tak, does that mean other Irkens are here, too?” Ava asked.

“Oi think so, even though they don’t come up here often. Actually, I think they made a little ol’ pact with those nasty pirates. They’re even lettin’ them hang around their secret underwater base.”

“Underwater base?” Nigel questioned.

“Yup. The Irkens set up a secret underwater base a few years back. I imagine it’s the place where they took that Star I found, eh?”

“Star?”

“Yup. During one of my travels around this ocean, I found this big, shiny Blue Star! I wanted to take it with me, but I was intercepted by those pirates. I almost had them, but then they called up a HUGE squid monster which took the Star from right under my nose! That thing was so big, I decided to name it the Squidlord! He ’ad a rather big nose, too, eh?”

“Where is the underwater base?” Nigel asked.

“Underwater, DUH!”

“I meant, is there any way to get there?”

“Well, if you ‘ad a submarine, I’d imagine so. Luckily, I ‘ave one just for such an occasion! And it’s ripper!”

Marine led them into a secret underground passageway. “Geez, it must have taken you forever to make all this!” Nigel said.

“Actually, I kind of found it. Decided to make use of it. Come on! We’re almost there!”

They followed the raccoon girl until they reached a large cavern with a large pool of water and a brown and green submarine. The team walked up to the submarine as Marine said, “Impressive, isn’t it? This baby’s the _Blue Marine_! I actually ‘borrowed’ it from the Star Fox Team a while back! I even gave it a nifty paint job.”

“Pray tell, this machine canst get us to yonder underwater base?” Luvbi asked.

“Hehehe. Does Foghorn Leghorn make a bad book narrator?”

“Well, no arguing with that. Let’s fire it up!” Nigel said eagerly.

“Hold on.” Ava stopped. “I thought we were on vacation?”

“We can’t relax knowing the Irkens are causing trouble down there.”

“Yeah, and if what those pirates say is true, then Tak’s here!” Dib mentioned.

“Come on, Ava. Don’t you want to save your favorite planet?” Kweeb asked.

Ava was silent. “Fine, I guess. Actually, I would like to see what it’s like under the surface here, anyway!”

“Great! Next stop, the Underwater City!”

“Aw, this is gonna be ripper! Climb aboard, mates! Onward to adventure!” And with that, they climbed aboard Marine’s sub, before she started it up, and went under the sea. The mariachi band was standing on their usual rock and playing music.

The team had been sailing for a few hours underwater. They looked out the window at the pleasant underwater scenery, while Marine drove the ship. “We should be gettin’ pretty close now, eh?” the young captain said. Just then, they felt the sub rumble and shake.

“What was that?” Nigel asked.

“Uh-oh. We got company!” Marine exclaimed as she looked at the radar to see several vehicles approaching. The others looked out the windows to see a fleet of robotic sharks and piranhas, along with submarines which had Irken and robo-pirate symbols.

“I take it we’re getting close.” Nigel assumed.

“No worries, mates! Let ol’ Captain Marine handle this!” She locked on to one of the sharks and pushed a button, which fired a torpedo, hitting the shark perfectly.

“Great shot, Marine!” Nigel praised.

“Didn’t I tell ya I was good?”

“But just what do you plan to do about the others?” Dib asked.

“THIS!” She blasted several lasers at the piranhas and more torpedoes at the sharks and submarines. “No worries, mates! This thing has LOADS of torpedoes!”

“Too bad they don’t fire faster!” Kweeb said as the ship took damage from the enemy fire.

“This thing wilt NEVER holdeth together!” Luvbi doubted.

“C’mon, mates! Ah’m doin’ the best I can!”

“I sure wish one of those things had a Wisp I could use underwater!” Nigel said.

“WAIT! The radar’s pickin’ up some weird energy reading from that sub over there!”

“Destroy it! It might hold a Wisp!” Nigel ordered.

“Okay. ’ere goes!” With that, Marine fired a torpedo at the Irken sub and destroyed it. As Nigel predicted, it released a Wisp, which happened to be yellow. It then flew over to the sub and searched for a way in. “Open the hatch!” Marine commanded. The others did as told and opened a hatch on the floor.

The Wisp immediately came up and flew into Nigel. “How can I use the drill underwater?”

“Try it! Maybe it acts as a torpedo.” Ava suggested.

“Crazy enough for me. DRILL!” Nigel dove into the water and turned into a yellow drill. He was able to move freely through the water like a torpedo. He drilled into the few remaining enemy ships and destroyed them perfectly.

“Holy WHOA! How does the bloke DO that?” Marine exclaimed.

“At this point, I stopped trying to understand humans.” Ava remarked. Dib glared at her. Nigel then came back through the hatch in time for the power to wear off.

“And THAT’S how it’s done!” he said victoriously.

“Look, mates! There it is!” At Marine’s cue, the team looked ahead to see what looked like a city inside a humungous glass dome.

“Methinks that is yon Undersea City.” Luvbi figured. “Looketh like something familiar…”

“And it looks very well Irken-made.” Nigel said, noticing the buildings made with Irken technology.

“Let’s go, mates! The city awaits! Let’s find a spot to park, eh?”

They found an entrance by the dome and followed it to get inside. Once they were in, they disembarked and gazed around the city. “Whoa. This place is…” Numbuh 1 began.

“Totally ripper!” Marine finished. “Who woulda thought the Irkens could make something like THIS underwater!”

“You think this place has anything to eat?” Dib asked. “I’m really hungry.”

“Chum Sticks! Get your Chum Sticks here!” Dib looked over to a nearby food stand where a small, green one-eyed creature with antennas was holding a dark-red substance on a stick. Dib immediately ran over. “Ah, hello, young man! Welcome to Plankton’s Chum Stand, where we serve chum for you and your chums!”

“I’ll take one of those Chum Sticks!”

“That’ll be 10 bucks.”

“10 bucks? Fine.” Dib grumbled as he took out 10 bucks and handed it to Plankton. “Here.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.” he replied as Dib ate the Chum Stick.

“So, what’s in this stuff?” he asked, chewing on it.

“I just went with the usual: whale blubber, motor oil, toilet water, and garbage fresh from the Space Junk Region!”

Dib’s face paled, and he immediately puked at hearing the ingredients. “This is repulsive!”

“I figured as much, but no worries! Just wait until you get a load of our appetizer! Let me just go in the back room and-” he began as he went into a back room, but immediately ran out screaming. “Run for your life! It’s the Appetizer!” With that, a huge blob monster made of chum broke out and started roaring.

He looked over to Dib with an angry look. “Uhhh, nice monster?” he said in fear. Dib then began to scream as the Appetizer chased him. The others just stood and watched him get chased.

“Uhhh, should we help him?” Marine asked.

“Nah. This stuff happens from time to time. We normally let it work itself out.” Nigel replied.

“Boy, this place is pretty neat, huh?” Kweeb asked.

“Yeah. For an Irken-built town, this place is pretty pretty.” Ava replied as Dib continued to scream and be chased in the background.

“It is pretty scenic. But there’s something I’ve never quite pieced together.” Nigel said.

“What is it?” Ava asked as two robo-pirates came and blasted the Appetizer in the background, killing it.

Dib breathed a sigh of relief. “Wait! That scallywag be on the wanted list!” one of the pirates said. Dib began screaming more as the pirates chased him.

Nigel, ignoring Dib’s cries, answered Ava. “Why is it that all the Irkens we’ve encountered so far were kids? I mean, the only adult ones we’ve seen were the Tallest.”

In the background, the Appetizer came back to life and swallowed the robo-pirates in a single gulp. He looked over to Dib and chased him some more. Ava ignored it and replied, “Maybe all the other adults are on Planet Irk?”

“I think there’s this one adult Irken who works at a restaurant in Food Courtia.” Kweeb replied. In the background, Dib ran by wearing a Sherlock Holmes costume as the Appetizer came by looking for him. Dib pointed in a different direction, where the Appetizer then ran to. Dib quickly ran in the opposite direction.

“Yeah, that would make sense.” Nigel replied. “I mean, why come all the way out here and conquer planets instead of just letting their kids do all the work?”

Ava laughed. “I know, right?”

Dib came back over, panting. “Hey guys. I’m back.”

“You all finished there?” Nigel asked.

“For now. So, where to next?”

“I wish we knew.” Ava replied.

“Gah, stupid Tallest.” The team looked over to see a rather short Irken child mopping the floor. “Making me, Invader Skoodge, mop the city floors just because I’m short!”

“Excuse me?” Nigel asked, walking over to the Irken. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the Star is, do you?”

“Wait! You’re all on the wanted list! I’d turn you in, but I’m really mad at the Tallest! If I tell you where it is, will you give them a knock on the head for me?”

“Uhhh, sure. We were planning to do that, anyway.”

“Good! The Star Piece is in the Aquaria Tower over there!” He pointed ahead at a large, tall tower that seemed to stretch above the surface. “But be careful. There’s lots of soldiers and pirates in that tower. Not to mention their Squidlord monster.”

“No worries, mate! Me and mah mates here can ‘andle any old squid!” Marine exclaimed.

“Come on, team! Let’s go!” Nigel declared.

“Thanks for the help, Skoodge!” Ava said. (Play “Aquarium Park 1” from _Sonic Colors_!)

 

_Stage 14: Underwater City_

_Mission: Get to Aquaria Towers!_

The operatives were ambushed by robo-pirates and Irkens alike, using jetpacks to shoot them from the air. _“Robots are not safe from Mr. Zurkon under the sea!”_ Nigel summoned his new robot companion to help battle them. With Nigel, Zurkon, Kweeb, and Marine using their long-ranged attacks, the airborne enemies were no trouble. The rest of the main road was blocked by sushi trucks, so the GKND followed a smaller road to their left. Several ledges led upward on this route, and on the first ledge, Irken Footsoldiers blasted them with Piranha Launchers – piranhas that had been persuaded to walk with mechanical legs.

Mr. Zurkon protected his masters from the weak piranhas while Ava went to chop up the Irkens. The next ledge was guarded by Megadoomers, but Nigel didn’t hold back with grenades and destroyed them quickly. The second Megadoomer released a Hover Wisp. “HOVER!” Nigel lifted his friends up the tall ledge, and from there, they had view of a great lake. Beside the edge was Numbuh 20x40’s stand.

_“Great operatives are great swimmers, and you’re gonna be needing some great weapons! For just 5,500 Bolts, you can have the W.E.T.-N.E.T., ensnaring all the underwater baddies!”_

“But I already upgraded my B.O.O.M.E.R. to work underwater.” Nigel said.

_“Oh… Well, the W.E.T.-N.E.T. is also fun for games!”_

“Oh, whatever.” With that, Nigel paid the Bolts.

 

 **Galactic Kids Next Door: W.E.T.-N.E.T.  
W**ater **E** nsnaring **T** rap **N** ets **E** nemies **T** errifically

 

Afterwards, the friends exchanged nods and dove into the water. Sharpedoes (blue sharks that looked like torpedoes) swam to attack the new prey that just fell in. Nigel’s W.E.T.-N.E.T. could fire nets that grew and trapped the sharks, giving them painful zaps. Ava proved to be efficient underwater, slicing the Sharpedoes with ease. Unfortunately, a wall of Sharpedoes were protecting the way forward. The kids resurfaced for a breath of air, and Ava spotted a small platform with a Speed Wisp, and a rowboat tied to the platform. They swum to the platform, so Nigel could collect the Wisp. His friends got in the boat as Nigel grabbed its rope. “SPEED!” He raced across the surface, pulling the boat along like a speedboat.

They zipped over the wall of Sharpedoes below, and Nigel performed quick turns as he ran across a snaky river. The river turned straight, and some giant piranhas leapt out of the water at different heights like a staircase. Nigel could jump and perform Homing Attacks on the piranhas, taking the boat with him and landing on a safe foothold. There was nowhere to go except for a smaller pool of water, so in they went. They were on the inside of an aquarium, seeing children pointing from the opposite side of the glass. Irken Divers swum up with shock rods raised, and the GKND put up a show for the aquarium-goers as they battled and defeated the divers.

Marine grabbed onto a large turtle and steered it, gesturing her new friends to get on. The turtle could swim against the current of a tunnel, but Pufftups (blowfish) were being blown down the tunnel. The kids couldn’t use projectile weapons because they would blow backward, and besides, the Pufftups would explode and blow them back. Nigel noticed a glowing yellow treasure chest and swam down to open it, retrieving a Drill Wisp. “DRILL!” He spun freely around the water and into the tunnel, destroying the Pufftups without taking damage. His friends rode the turtle and kept after him. Nigel made a turn left, and the current was gone, but he used the remainder of his Drill to destroy any Pufftups in this next area. There was a weak patch of soil on the ground, so Nigel quickly burrowed into it and broke a buried cage with trapped Fishkids.

They swam by more windows with viewing families, and the mariachi band was behind one of them. The GKND avoided some more Pufftups and their exploding shrapnel. At the end of the path, they could resurface and climb onto a floor. Two Irkens were about to attack them, blasting electric guns for extra damage against the soaked operatives, but Luvbi blew them back and into another pool, electrocuting them to death. This pool was very wide and had electrical rods sticking out all around, making the whole thing hazardous. The pool was naturally home to electrical sea creatures, such as jellyfish or eels. Luvbi could blow whirlwinds over the rods, so they all could use them to hover across.

Once across the pool, they could take a staircase out of the building and outside above another lake. The team dove in and encountered a school of electric eels (known as Frazzles), which lashed electric balls at the intruders. Marine and Nigel threw Light Spheres and grenades to eliminate the eels. They resurfaced for a quick breath and saw that the Aquaria Tower was on this very lake. They dove under again, but realized that a barrier was sealing the tower’s entrance. There were six generators surrounding the tower, and a Drill Wisp floating in a hole at the bottom. They fought more Sharpedoes as they swum down, and when Nigel entered the hole with the Wisp, a giant eel shot up from below to snack on him.

“DRILL!” Nigel quickly entered his Color Power and destroyed the eel, then about-faced to get out. He drilled into each of the generators and destroyed them, disabling the barrier. The team happily entered the Aquaria Tower. (End song.)

**Zim’s ship**

Zim was still flying through space, with Rachel handcuffed and asleep in the back of his ship. She woke up and looked around with shock. “So, you’re finally awake?” Zim said.

“You! Who are you and where are you taking me? And where’s Nigel Uno?” she demanded.

“I’m Invader Zim of Planet Irk! I’ve been sent down by my Almighty Tallest to capture you! We’re on our way to them right now!”

“What about Nigel? Where is he?”

“Ha ha ha! Foolish human! Your friend has been serving in the Galactic Kids Next Door!”

“The… Galactic Kids Next Door?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes. The one menace that stood in the Irken Empire’s way of establishing adult tyranny! They go around fighting the Irkens and their adult allies throughout the cosmos, picking up children from planets whom they deem worthy enough to join them.”

“So… Nigel was picked to join them?”

“Yes.”

“But, wait, how come I never knew about this? I am the Supreme Leader.”

“Well, that’s because filthy Earth KND aren’t ready to know about it. I don’t know why, though. You’re both fools either way.”

“How long has the GKND been going on?”

“Eh, a couple million years, I dunno. It all began when their Supreme Leader, Dimentia, found the Star God, Jirachi, and discovered his abilities to keep children from aging. I don’t know the whole story, but I do know that the GKND are a menace to adulthood and they must be stopped!”

“Why would you care about establishing adulthood if you’re a kid?”

“Because, unlike all other children, the Irken children are obedient and know what’s best for all children! ’Course, this wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the Almighty Tallest. Now, be quiet! We’re making the jump to hyperspace!” With that, Zim pushed a button and the ship immediately shot so fast, it vanished.

“Boy, hyperspace always looked so freaky.” Zim said as they proceeded through a tunnel of bright lights and strange backgrounds. In the brightness, they could see the image of a black-haired man, dressed like a samurai, and a psychotic expression. The image later vanished.

**The _Massive_**

They came out of hyperspace and were close to the _Massive_. Rachel looked out the window to see a few Irken ships fly by. She noticed the last ship was painted with flames, played rap music, and made up-and-down motions as it moved along.

Zim’s ship landed in the _Massive_ ’s hangar, where they stepped off and walked down a hallway, with Zim pulling Rachel by her cuffs. Rachel looked to see paintings of tall Irkens lined up along the walls. “Hey, Zim, who are these guys?”

“These are all paintings of Tallest who ruled in the past. Any Irken who becomes Tallest gets their image painted and posted on the wall. They also have to have their thumbs cut off.”

“How did THAT whole thing get started?”

“Beats me. Anyway, we have paintings of all the Tallest from Red and Purple all the way back to Emperor Irk, the first Tallest.”

“How does someone become a Tallest?”

“By being the tallest Irken, of course. You see, since the beginning, we believed that, since children are short and adults are tall, and adults are superior to children, the tallest Irken would be deemed the most superior and, therefore, be made the Tallest. In fact, the current Tallest were quite alarmed when I told them the adults of your world were stupid.”

“Tell me about it.” Rachel said, rolling her eyes. “But what makes you think they care about you? About any kid?”

Zim laughed. “Foolish human! Of course they care about us! They only want what’s best! And when I turn you in, you’ll soon see that-”

“Zim is such an idiot!”

“Huh?” Zim said, thinking he heard Purple’s voice.

“I know! Can you believe he actually fell for that whole ‘him on the wanted list by accident’ bit?”

Zim looked to see the Tallests’ shadows coming down a corner. He looked to his side to see a closet. “In here!” Zim shouted as he shoved Rachel in. He reached back out to pull in GIR, just in time for the Tallest to float by.

“Hey! Remember the time Zim thought Mars was some giant spaceship?” Purple asked, laughing.

“Yeah! He was going to squash all the humans with his ‘unstoppable death machine’!” Red replied, laughing.

“Yeah! And to think, he still thinks we sent him to Earth on a mission, when really, we wanted to get rid of him!”

“HA HA! Yeah! I wish I could’ve seen the way Rachel probably kicked his butt by now!”

They laughed some more. “I tell ya Red, I know all snot-nosed kids are gullible, but Zim is just plain stupid!”

“I know! I don’t know who’s dumber: the other Irken children for thinking we care about them or Zim for just being… well, ZIM!” They continued to laugh as they turned another corner.

Once they were gone, Zim, GIR, and Rachel came out of the closet. “Pfft. They didn’t look so tough!” Rachel said quietly. She then noticed Zim’s sad expression. “Zim?…”

His expression became more serious. “Come on!” He began dragging her back the way they came.

Once they were back at Zim’s ship, the Irken untied Rachel’s hands. Once finished, he began entering some coordinates in his ship. “There. I’ve programmed the ship’s autopilot to fly you directly to the GKND H.Q.. Once you’re there, you’ll be able to see Nigel again. I want you to give these to him.” Zim requested, handing Rachel the sunglasses.

She stared at them for a minute before replying, “But what about you?”

“I’m going to give the Tallest a taste of their own medicine. You just go. And when you find him, tell him… I’m sorry.”

Rachel smiled and nodded. “I really appreciate this, Zim. If there’s anything I could do-”

“Actually, there is one thing.”

“What is it?”

“…Don’t separate Sector V. It’s not their fault.”

She nodded. “I’m way ahead of you!” With that, Zim hopped off as Rachel pressed the autopilot. Zim and GIR watched as the ship took off.

Zim turned and looked down the hallway with a serious expression. “Laugh while you can, my Tallest. _Laugh while you still can…”_

 

**The song Harvey was listening to was Patrick’s Song from _Spongebob Squarepants_. Plankton comes from _Spongebob_ , along with the Appetizer, only that thing was a Krusty Krab monster. The image they saw while in hyperspace was the image of Spike from _Power Rangers Samurai_.**


	20. Rachel Visits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Nigel finishes their vacation on Aquaria. Meanwhile, Rachel meets Dimentia.

**Okay, it’s time for the boss fight, which I didn’t have much time to prepare for, but it’s not the REAL boss fight anyway, so let’s do it. (Again, so sorryyyyy for no more action stages. X,()**

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Chapter 20: Rachel Visits

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**Aquaria Towers**

After trekking up the long tower, the team had made it to the top, which happened to be a few meters above the surface. The top appeared to be a large, circular area with a huge pool of water in the middle. They looked into the pool and noticed bubbles coming out of it. They readied their battle positions for what may pop out. A gigantic, cyan-colored squid with red eyes, a big nose, and a frowny mouth emerged from the pool and roared.

“I’m guessing that’s the Squidlord!” exclaimed Nigel.

“Yup. Unless you were expecting the Squidsquire.” Marine remarked.

“Then let’s take it out! Galactic Kids Next Door: Battle Stations!”

 

_Boss fight: Squidlord_

The Squidlord quickly threw its tentacles at the team, attempting to crush them, but they avoided. “’ey, squid face! ‘ow about a helping of this!” Marine exclaimed as she fired her Light Spheres at the Squidlord’s eyes, making him groan in pain.

“Looks like that got him!” Nigel said.

The Squidlord then reached out a tentacle and grabbed Ava. Said girl held up her sword with her free hand and stabbed his tentacle, making him drop her. Luvbi then blew the Glomourian back onto the safe foothold.

_“Oh, my aching tentacle.”_

“IT CAN TALK?!” they all shouted.

_“Yes, I can talk! What, you thought I was just some ordinary giant squid?”_

“Uhhh, yeah?” Dib answered.

The beast sighed. _“Look, it was stressful enough having to put up with that sponge back in Bikini Bottom! But I WON’T have the same trouble with a bunch of alien freaks! So, it’s time for you to hear my next piece!”_ With that, he pulled up a giant, black clarinet and blew into it, causing it to shoot giant notes, which homed in on the heroes.

“Whoa! Those are some heavy notes!” Kweeb exclaimed. “Good thing I have no ears.”

“Ah ain’t afraid o’ some bad music!” Marine said as she punched a few notes with her Light Fists. It just so happened that one of the notes contained a Yellow Wisp, which flew into Nigel.

“I’d like to know how these Wisps get into these odd locations we find them in.” Dib said.

“We’ll scratch our heads thinking about that later. DRILL!” Nigel dove into the large pool of water and became a drill. He began to move along underwater, destroying any tentacle he encountered. He then drilled up through the Squidlord’s underside and made his way inside.

The Squidlord screamed in pain as the Brit was beating away at his insides. “Ah think it’s time we beat this drongo!” And with that, Marine threw a Light Sphere at the Squidlord’s nose, generating an electric rope from the nose to her hand. She began to pull on the nose until it was completely ripped off his face. Nigel leaped out of the hole that was left as the Squidlord coughed up the Star Piece.

He then began to blow around like a balloon until he was only a few inches taller than the heroes. A puff of smoked engulfed him, and once it cleared, he was wearing a brown shirt and his head became round and flat. He weakly stood up, groaning in pain. “Oh, forget this. I’m going back to my crappy show.” With that, Squidward dove into the water.

The team stood and stared at the Blue Star Piece floating above the ground. “Was that it?” Ava asked.

“Pretty easy for a boss fight, huh?” Kweeb replied.

“Well, we got the Star. Let’s take it back to base, so we can get back to our vacation.” Nigel recommended.

As they were about to walk up and grab the Star, they stopped when a load of miniature bombs fell from the sky and exploded around them. “What was that?” Ava asked.

“LOOK!” As Nigel pointed, they all looked up to see a flying metallic pirate ship coming their way. On the edge of the ship was a short pirate with red and white pants, blue- and white-striped shirt, a big red hat, yellow eyes, and silver body.

“Who’s that?” asked Ava.

“YARR! I be Admiral Razorbeard! Sharpest pirate ever to sail the Stars! And I’m gonna send ye fleshy scallywags straight to Davy Jarg’s Locker!”

“Don’t you mean Davy Jones?” Dib asked.

“No. I mean Davy Jarg. He’s the one for space, not the sea.”

“Oh. Well, not if we send you there first!”

“I wouldn’t count on it!” Tak appeared on the edge by Razorbeard.

“TAK!” Nigel, Ava, and Dib shouted.

“Who?” the rest of them asked together.

“She’s an Irken we fought a while back.” Dib answered. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Hehehe. Well, ever since you defeated me, I’ve been resting here on Planet Aquaria. I mean, who wouldn’t want to come to the Underwater City on vacation?”

“Can’t argue with that.” Ava replied.

“Since I heard the pirates found a Star here recently, I decided to hang around until you showed up to try to retrieve it. Took you long enough. Which reminds me: FIR!” At Tak’s cue, FIR flew down and retrieved the Star, then flew back up to the ship. “It was fun talking with you, but I have a Star to deliver. See you around!” Tak laughed as the ship took off.

“Oh no! They’re getting away!” Nigel exclaimed.

“Thanketh thee for pointing out the obvious!” Luvbi shouted.

“Not on my watch, mates! Hold on tight!” Marine said as she fired a Light Sphere at the back of the ship and created another energy rope. The team formed a chain and held on tight as they were being lifted up (Luvbi flew). They started to swing back and forth until they gained enough momentum to get onto the ship.

“You won’t get away that easy!” Nigel exclaimed.

“We’ll soon see. FIR: destroy them!” Tak ordered. FIR saluted and ran over to Marine, scanning her, and taking her form. Razorbeard and Tak hopped into an orange, floating, circular tube and took off to the sky with the Star.

Dib beat some pirates with his mech-arms, Luvbi blew some off the ship, and Kweeb flew around in his hover car while blasting some. Nigel, Ava, and Marine were focusing on FIR, who was blasting the team with Light Spheres in Marine’s body. “How ‘bout some of this?” Nigel said, coming up behind FIR and kicking the backside of her head.

“’ey, that’s not very nice, eh?” she said in Marine’s voice. “’ow about Ah teach you a lesson!” She scanned Nigel and turned into him.

Nigel threw several punches at FIR, who just mimicked every move. At that instant, Ava came up behind and struck her with her swords. FIR scanned Ava and turned into her. As she faced her counterpart, she was hit by a punch in the head by Nigel. “Too bad you can only copy one opponent at a time!” Nigel exclaimed.

Before she knew it, FIR was surrounded by the rest of the team, who finished beating the pirates. “Uhhh, this doesn’t look too good.” she said in Ava’s voice.

“Care to do the honors?” Nigel asked Marine.

“No problemo! Let’s see what she thinks o’ my charge attack!” Marine began spinning her arm rapidly. Once she finished, she released a Light Sphere the size of a beach ball and fired at FIR, who went flying into the sky from the terrific force. “Lesson learned, mate: never tango with Cap’n Marine!”

“Good job, Marine!” Nigel praised. “Now to find out where Tak and Razorbeard went!” He then looked over to see a robot pirate on the floor by the mast, barely conscious. He walked over to pick him up by the neck and hold him to the mast. “I don’t suppose you know where they went?”

“Arrgh. They’re heading over to the secret floating isle.”

“And where’s that?”

“Errgh. Just over there.” He pointed to the right of the ship where they saw the shadow of a floating object in the distance.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Nigel said, dropping the robot. “Take the wheel, Dib. It’s time we put Tak in her place! To that island!” Dib took the steering wheel and they were off to the floating isle.

**Star Haven**

Dimentia was pacing back and forth on the fountain. _Where is he?_ she thought to herself. Just then, Jirachi appeared with Gabe and Jeremy.

“Sorry I’m late!” Jirachi said.

“Never mind. Let’s just do this.” Dimentia replied, sticking her hands in the water and started to sing.

_O great, mighty star_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the tides turn backward_

_Give me what once was mine_

_What once was mine…_

The water seeped into Dimentia’s skin and her wrinkles vanished. “There we go!” Jirachi cheered.

“So, how was Sea Slide?” Dimentia asked.

“It was great! When we were there, Jeremy-”

“Dimentia!” They looked to see the Magiblots flying in. “There’s an Irken ship approaching!” said Blue.

“What? Well, go stop it! Gabe, Jeremy, you go, too!” They all saluted, and Dimentia teleported them away.

**GKND H.Q.**

Rachel was impatiently flying in Zim’s ship, still set on autopilot, waiting to get to the H.Q.. _“Now approaching GKND Headquarters.”_ Rachel looked out the window to see she was coming to a strange base shaped like a head.

“Here I come, Nigel.” she said as she was about to land.

The ship landed in the base’s hangar as Rachel stepped off and looked around. “Boy, this place is pretty high-tech.” she said to herself. She stepped out into the main room and was greeted by a swarm of surrounding Wisps staring angrily at her.

The Magiblots were staring at her from the other side of the room with Gabe and Jeremy. “There’s the intruder!” Red exclaimed. Gabe and Jeremy gasped. “Wisps: ATTACK!”

Rachel shut her eyes as the Wisps charged at her, but were then stopped by Gabe and Jeremy. “NO! STOP! She’s not an enemy!” Infinity said. He turned to Rachel. “Numbuh 362, what are you doing here?”

Rachel opened her eyes and studied the Wisp, recognizing that voice. “Numbuh Infinity? Is that you?”

Gabe chuckled nervously. “You’re probably wondering why we look like this.”

“Numbuh 74.239?”

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?” Dimentia shouted, appearing before Rachel’s eyes. Dimentia gasped after seeing who it was. _“What are YOU doing here?”_

Rachel was silent for a moment before replying. “Uh, ahem! I’m Numbuh 362, Supreme Leader of the Earth Kids Next Door. I’m here because I hear that one of my operatives was secretly taken here.”

Right now, Dimentia had the strongest urge to warp her to the deepest corner of space. But for now, she thought it’d be best to pretend she didn’t hate Rachel at all. She smiled and replied, “Oh, yes, I know who you are, Rachel T. McKenzie. I am Number 256, Supreme Leader of the Galactic Kids Next Door. But you can call me Dimentia.”

“You… know who I am?”

“Well, yes! Number 1 told me all about you, Rachel! Smart, strong-willed, well organized, and… _mature_.” she said the last part through gritted teeth. “In fact, I’ve been meaning to ask: what does the ‘T’ stand for?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Right. Anyway, Number 1 is on vacation on Planet Aquaria with his new friends. But just why do you want to find him? You weren’t thinking of taking him back, were you?”

“Well… kinda.”

“Well, TOO BAD! I’m afraid he won’t be coming back! For one thing, you’re no longer his Supreme Leader, so you have no say in the matter.”

“I wasn’t going to force him to come back.”

“Well, that’s great, because he doesn’t want to! He likes it much better here than on Earth. He told me himself! He told me that the missions he received are FAR more exciting than the ones back on Earth, and that the new alien friends he made here are FAR more interesting than the boring old human ones back on Earth! And did I mention he’s thankful for the one big thing we have that Earth KND doesn’t: TECHNOLOGY!”

“I admit the technology here is pretty advanced and I imagine the missions would be far more exciting… but I really don’t think he wouldn’t miss his old friends back on Earth.”

“Well, he doesn’t. In fact, I recall him saying he hardly remembers having any friends down there. Only a few choice people that liked hurting him.”

“Okay, now you’re just making stuff up! He had plenty of friends down there! Including me!”

“Ooooh… That’s not what I heard from him.”

“Then… what did you hear from him?”

“This isn’t really the place. How about we go up to my office?”

“Uh, okay. Just one thing, though.”

Dimentia sighed. “What?”

“I didn’t really eat before I came here, so I was wondering: got any cheesecake in this place?” she asked with a smile.

“Oh, so it’s CHEESECAKE you want, huh? Old Rachel T. McKenzie can’t get enough of her CHEESECAKE? Well, how ‘bout I call the Cheesecake Planet and have them send up a whole flagship of cheesecake and hook a hose up to Rachel T. McKenzie’s mouth, so Rachel T. McKenzie can suck up all the cheesecake she wants until there’s no more cheesecake left FOR THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE’S POPULATION!!!!”

Rachel backed up in fear after Dimentia’s angry rant.

The two-faced leader breathed heavily before replying, “Sorry about that.” She turned to her Magiblots. “You three: get her some cheesecake.” The three minions exchanged confused glances and saluted before flying off. Dimentia turned back to Rachel. “Now then: shall we… head up to my office?” Rachel merely shrugged and followed Dimentia back to her office.

**Aquaria’s skies**

Back with the main group, the team continued to ride on the floating pirate ship, getting ever-so closer to the floating isle. Once they made it, they saw that the isle was made of Irken technology and that there was a tower, which consisted of several cannons, saws, and a cockpit on top, sitting in the middle.

The team lowered the ship’s anchor and hopped off onto the platform. “Where are they?” Dib asked.

“Up here!” They looked up to see Tak and Razorbeard standing in the open cockpit. “So, you fools have defeated FIR. That’s a real shame. No matter. Feast your eyes upon this! The Irken Empire’s NEW most powerful weapon: the B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y.!”

 **Irken Empire: B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y.  
B**eats **O** ther **O** pposing **M** onsters **S** uperiorly **D** estructive **A** ttacking **Y** ou

“With this weapon, we’ll easily beat you and take back those Stars!”

“YARR! Now ye will pay for what ye did to me maties, Marine!” Razorbeard said as he hopped into the cockpit. Just then, Tak stomped on the button labeled ‘Eject’ and Razorbeard was sent flying off the platform via spring.

“You don’t have a score to settle, Razorbum. I DO! And now it is time I settle it!” She hopped into the cockpit, which then closed. “Now, you meddlesome fools: it’s time I sent you to Davy Jarg’s Locker! Avast!”

 

_Boss fight: B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y._

Saws lined up around the tower and began spinning around the sides, while the cannons fired cannonballs made of electricity at the heroes. The bottom of the tower shot blasts of fire along the ground as well. “This thing looks heavily guarded!” Nigel exclaimed.

“There has to be something that can penetrate it! Let’s do it!” Dib said as he drew out his golf club and began knocking Golf Bombs at the tower.

“HA HA HA! You’ll have to do better than THAT to break THIS baby!”

“If only we could reach that cockpit.” Dib said.

Marine then looked to see one of the cannonballs coming their way was light-blue. “’ey Nigel: ready for a Color Power?”

“One would be nice about now!”

“Then ‘ave some o’ this!” Marine punched at the light-blue ball and destroyed it. As she guessed, it released a Speed Wisp, which Nigel quickly absorbed.

“SPEED!” Nigel shouted as he began to run around the tower, making Tak dizzy. He saw some cannonballs coming for him and decided to jump up them. He jumped until he was at Tak’s level. Once there, he spun up into a pinball and shot at Tak’s cockpit, damaging it slightly. Nigel fell back to the ground just as the Color Power wore off.

“GAH! You insolent fools! It’s time I take this to the next level!” The B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. rose out of the ground and revealed digger tracks on the bottom. “Now, I can easily crush you as if you were just pieces of DIRT!” She drove around in the B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. and attempted to crush the heroes.

“And I thought it was menacing when it was still!” Nigel said.

“I wish there was a way in there, so I can disable somehow.” Kweeb said.

“Wait! Maybe there’s a way in where those tracks go up!” Ava figured. “You think you can get up there?”

“Sounds risky, but I think I can do it!” With that, Kweeb landed on the ground and ran toward the B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y.’s tracks. Just before it crushed him, he jumped into one of the openings and let it carry him along. As soon as the tracks carried him up into the B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y., he jumped up onto a safe platform and saw several gears and gizmos inside.

“Now to show her what this little piece of dirt can do!” he said as he drew out his gun and shot at the tower’s insides.

Outside, Tak could feel the tower rumbling. “Huh? What’s going on here?”

“I think that’s our cue!” Nigel said. “Care to do the honors?” he asked to Marine again.

“That’d just be ripper! Gimme a boost, Luvbi!” Marine jumped up and Luvbi used all her force to blow Marine up to Tak’s level. The young raccoon rapidly spun her arm around as she was falling to the cockpit. She landed and punched the cockpit with tremendous force.

“AH! NO!” Tak screamed as the B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. began to crackle and smoke. “I have to get out of here!”

“Not so fast!” As Tak was about to leave, Dib climbed up to the cockpit and dealt several blows and punches at Tak, knocking her back in.

_B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. self-destruct in 3… 2…_

Just before the computer spoke ‘1’, Dib bent to Tak and kissed her on the mouth.

_1…_

Dib jumped off just in time for the B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. to explode, sending Tak flying and screaming into the air.

“WOOHOO! That was so, totally RIPPER!” Marine exclaimed.

“It sure was, Marine. It sure was.” Dib said, dreamily. Once the explosion cleared, they could clearly see the Blue Star floating overhead. The Star spun around before taking off for the Star Sanctuary.

“That takes care of that!” Nigel said.

“And to think we wouldn’t have one if it wasn’t for…” Ava gasped. “KWEEB!” She ran over to where the tower exploded and found the tiny alien passed out on the ground. “Kweeb, are you okay?” she asked, picking him up.

He groaned and opened his eyes. “I am now.” Ava smiled and pressed the Kateenian to her cheek.

“Well, since everyone’s okay, what do you say we get back to our vacation?” Nigel suggested. They all cheered as they boarded the ship and took off. The mariachi band was standing on the edge of the platform, playing their music.

“And so, the team recovered the sixth Star and headed back to Sunny Island to rest, for soon, they would have to return to base to continue the arduous journey. Now, what do you three say we get back to partying on Rio?” he asked his bandmates. As they all agreed, they felt the whole platform begin to shake. The floating foothold collapsed and fell into the sea, with the mariachi band screaming.

**GKND H.Q.**

“And here we are!” Dimentia announced as she entered her office/throne room along with the cheesecake-eating Rachel. “Number 362-”

“ _Numbuh_ 362.”

“Whatever. Welcome to… my office!”

Rachel swallowed a piece of cheesecake and examined the office as Dimentia took a seat in her throne. “Wow, this is some office! All I have is a lousy desk. But where do you have room for doing paperwork?”

“Paperwork?” Dimentia merely laughed at this. “Oh, you silly girl! Why would we do PAPERWORK? That’s an ADULT thing!”

“Well, yeah, but without paperwork, how do things get organized around here?”

“Things can be organized easy if you know how to run things properly! All good leaders know that.”

“Riiight… So, Dimentia, what did Nigel say about me?”

Rather than answer, Dimentia examined the Gold Star necklace Rachel wore around her neck. “Where did you get that necklace?”

“Oh, this? It’s a McKenzie Family heirloom. It’s been passed down through generations. It’s supposed to grant good luck or something.”

Dimentia looked harder at the star and could feel a force radiating from it. Her eyes widened as she recognized it. _The Seventh Star._

“Uhhh, Dimentia?”

“Oh, uh, sorry. That’s a pretty nice necklace.” she said, hopping down from her throne. “Mind if I-” As she was about to touch, an electric spark came out and zapped her hand.

Rachel chuckled. “Sorry about that! Funny thing is this necklace zaps anyone who tries to take it. The only way for it to NOT zap you would be for me to hand it to you.”

“Oh, well, can I see it?”

“Not really. I’m sorry Dimentia, but I need all the luck I can get right now. Now, care to answer my question?”

“Oh, yes, ahem! I think he said something about you… being nothing but a traitorous friend whom never really cared about him?”

“He… really said that about me?” she asked in an upset tone.

“As far as I can hear. Yep.”

“But… why would he say that?”

“Sure beats the heck out of me. Maybe it was something you did around the last time you saw him. Remember anything?”

“Well… I did kick him off the cake mission. And he really wanted that mission.”

“Then that must be the answer!”

“I… didn’t think that would have so much an impact on him.”

“Well, you know what they say: sometimes it’s the little things that have such big impacts on people. But I’m afraid you’ll have to accept the fact that Nigel left because of you. He probably thought he could find much better friends here in the GKND that wouldn’t betray his friendship. Someone like me.”

Rachel looked down in sadness. “I feel so guilty…” Dimentia walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Oh, don’t be sad, Rachel. I know the pain you must be feeling right now. And I have the perfect solution for getting rid of that pain.”

Rachel looked up at her. “What’s that?”

Dimentia smirked. “A little thing called… _decommissioning.”_

 

**Well, there you have it. Just one more Star to go until the Star Rod. And we already know where it is. The B.O.O.M.S.D.A.Y. comes from _Mario Galaxy 2_. The Squidlord was obviously Squidward Tentacles from the _Spongebob_ series. Razorbeard was the robo pirate captain from _Rayman 2: The Great Escape_. See ye!**


	21. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel and Nigel spend their last day together.

**Hey, welcome back. This is a really big chapter here. I mean, it’s not long, but… you’ll see. Alright, on with the show.**

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Chapter 21: Reunion

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**GKND H.Q.**

“DECOMMISSIONING?!” Rachel exclaimed. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I feel bad about what I did to Nigel, but not enough to decommission myself!”

“If you want to rid yourself of your sadness, then this is the only way.” Dimentia replied.

“But there has to be some other way! Can’t I at least talk to him first?”

“No! He doesn’t want to see you. Otherwise, he would’ve come back to Earth and done so.”

“Dimentia, please! I want to see him, so I can apologize!”

“There’s no point. He doesn’t want to see, let alone talk to you. No matter what you do, he’ll always be angry with you. If you want him to be satisfied, you’ll sit yourself in that chair and be decommissioned. I’m sorry Rachel, but it’s the only way.”

Rachel held her head down in regret. Dimentia smirked.

The shadow being, who watched from behind the throne, quickly flew off.

**Aquaria; Sunny Island**

After their battle with Tak, the main group was resting at the beach on Sunny Island, with the sun setting over the horizon. “You know, Dib, I used to never like coming to the beach.” Nigel said to him. “My friends always pushed me into going because they thought I was working too hard, and I sort of was. Then over time, I actually got used to coming here. I actually liked going.”

“Sounds like you guys had some crazy times back there.” Dib replied.

“Yeah. Too bad those times are all over. You’re real lucky, Dib. You don’t have to stay here in GKND, like us. As soon as we find where Zim is and catch him, you’ll be free to go.”

Dib looked away. “Yeah…” He turned back to Nigel. “Actually, Nigel, I have a confession to make.”

“Hmm?”

“The thing is… Zim didn’t really destroy my tracking device. Or at least, not my other one.”

“Huh?”

“I put a second one on Zim’s ship just in case and it’s still active. But I thought if we went to find him and actually caught him, Dimentia would send me back to Earth in an instant.”

“Well, why wouldn’t you want to go back to Earth?”

Dib was silent for a moment. “Because… I HATE IT THERE! I don’t have any friends back on Earth! Everyone in Doomsdale always liked to make fun of me because of my… paranormal studies. Even after I’ve been saving everyone from Zim’s crazy plans for more than a year, they always pick on me, and they never believe any proof I give them about Zim being an alien! I followed Zim up here in another attempt to capture and expose him, an attempt that was probably doomed to fail from the start. But then I met you and Ava, and we traveled together and met these other guys… and, well, I just didn’t want it to end. You, Ava, and all the others are the only friends I have in the universe, and I didn’t want our good times to end.”

Nigel only chuckled. “You think that’s funny?” Dib asked.

“Uh, no, no! Not that! I’m just laughing at the irony.”

“Irony?”

“Well, it’s just that, every other operative wants to go back home to their own planet, and you’re the only one of us that actually wants to stay here.”

“Yeah, but technically, I’m not an operative. You said it yourself.”

“Maybe, but you’re just about good enough to be one.”

Dib smiled. “You think so?”

Nigel smiled back. “Positive!”

Luvbi flew over and tapped Nigel on the shoulder. “Pray, hath a look upon this!” She pointed over to Kweeb and Ava, sitting by each other.

“Sunsets sure are pretty, huh?” Kweeb asked her.

“They sure are.” Ava replied, smiling.

Nigel then walked over to them, along with Luvbi. “Hey, Kweeb, can we talk to you for a sec?”

“Um, sure.” Nigel picked him up and carried him a few feet away from Ava.

“You like Ava, don’t you?” Nigel smirked.

“Yea, verily, thy tiny heart ever so yearns for yon big-earred.” Luvbi remarked.

“Look, I do like her, okay? It’s just… I’m not sure how it can work out. Not because we’re different species, but because… well, I’m tiny and she’s huge! It could never work out!”

“I’m sure you can find some way to work it out!” Nigel said.

“A shrink ray, mayhap?”

“Even so, you should tell her how you feel. Who knows, if you don’t do it now, you might be too late.”

“Yea, Nigel knowest this to be true. He waited to confess to Rachel until it wast too late!”

Nigel blushed. “Hey!”

“I don’t know, guys…” Kweeb replied.

“Just do it.” With that, Nigel walked back toward Ava, while holding Kweeb. Luvbi then blew a gust of wind to Nigel, forcing him to trip and throw the Kateenian. Ava saw her tiny friend screaming and flying through the air and quickly ran over to catch him.

“Whoa! Thanks, Ava.”

“No problem!” she replied, sitting down and holding him in her hand.

“Hey, Ava… can I tell you something?”

“Sure.”

“Well, I know it’s only been a few days since we met, but you’re real pretty and real nice… and you may not feel the same way, but… I-”

Before he could finish, Ava held him to her mouth and kissed him, nearly sucking out his face. She then released him and giggled. “You’re cute, too, Kweeb.” The little alien just blushed.

“S-So… wait… You like me?”

“Well, I mean… I dunno.” Ava’s cheeks turned red. “There’s something… different about you, aside from other guys I met. I think I… wanna see what that is.”

“Uhhh… Okay!” Kweeb was totally confused, but he shrugged it off. “I guess we’re dating now!”

“Yep!” Ava smiled brightly. …She looked away and frowned, thinking to herself. _I guess we are… I just wonder if…_

As Nigel and Luvbi looked over and smiled at the two, Nigel’s wristwatch started blinking. Dimentia’s face appeared on it. _“Numbuh 1: it’s Dimentia. We need you and the others back at the headquarters ASAP. Dimentia OUT.”_ It turned off.

“That’s strange.” Nigel said. “For once, she didn’t say _Number_ 1.”

“Mayhap ‘twas a mistake?”

“I don’t know. But I guess we should go see what she wants. Let’s go, team.” With that, Nigel and the others boarded their ships and took off.

Once they were gone, the shadow being came out from behind the trees with a Dimentia mask. “It’s not what she wants… it’s what I want!”

**GKND H.Q.**

Dimentia, Rachel, and the Magiblots walked into the hangar, where Zim’s ship was still parked. “Dimentia, are you sure decommissioning’s the only way?”

“I’m sorry to say, but it is.”

“But can’t I at least try to talk to him?”

“No. It’s best that you leave right this minute. I’ve already entered the coordinates into the autopilot to take you straight back to Earth.”

Rachel sighed. “Fine.”

“Psst. Dimentia.” called the Blue Magiblot. Dimentia walked over to them. “Just how do you plan to get that Star if you can’t take it from her?” he whispered.

“Never worry, you three! I’ve already come up with the perfect plan. I’ve already convinced Ms. Goody Two-shoes to decommission herself, but once she gets down to it, I’ll sneak into the Moonbase and program the machines to make her forget, not just KND, but the very purpose of that necklace. Once she forgets what it’s for, I’ll come down to her and tell her it’s mine and that I asked her to hold onto it for a while. Once she willfully hands it to me, we’ll be all good to go!”

“Great plan!” Yellow replied. “But just one thing: what if she entrusts the necklace to that good-for-nothing brother of hers?”

“I suspect as much, but that problem will work itself out. Since Number 363 is hated by every operative, no doubt that Rachel’s successor will order his immediate decommissioning. All we’ll have to do is wait for THAT to happen, we convince him to give us the Star, and we’ll all live happily ever after!”

“Wow! Way to think things through, Dimentia!” Red complimented.

“If you’ve been where I’ve been, you know how to be clever like this.”

They finished just in time to see the ship lift off the ground. “Good-bye, Dimentia.” Rachel shouted and waved from the ship.

“Take care, Rachel!” With that, the ship took off. Dimentia waved until it was out of sight and said, “Now we play the waiting game. As soon as she’s ready for decommissioning, we’ll go down and prepare the next step. I’ll just watch her in my mirror and wait for that to happen. But first, I need a drink.” She warped off.

**A few parsecs away**

The main group was still flying through space back to H.Q.. Marine’s ship had a raccoon-like design, and the young captain had her cockpit open and was letting her feet hang over the edge.

Nigel looked over to see she wasn’t even wearing a helmet. “MARINE! Get back in your ship before you drown in airless space!”

“Aw, relax, mate! Where I come from, airless space is a thing of the past! We don’t know why, though.”

Dib looked on his ship’s radar to see a red dot moving away from the GKND H.Q.. “Guys! I’ve just picked up Zim’s ship! Over there!” The team looked to the right to see an Irken ship heading away from the base.

“Should we go after him?” Ava asked.

“I…I don’t know. I don’t want to be sent back.”

“Mayhap Dimentia calleth us to capture yon foolhardy Irken? Then thou wilt have to go back, anyway.” Luvbi noted.

Dib sighed. “Yeah, probably.”

“Telleth thee what: I will pursue after Zim and thou headeth back and see if Dimentia may reconsider. He shan’t be that strong.”

“Okay. Good luck.” With that, Luvbi flew after Zim’s ship, while the others headed back to base.

**GKND H.Q.**

After landing back in the base, they met up with Dimentia in the main room, who just got back after getting a drink from the fountain. “What are you all doing back?” she asked.

“Didn’t you call us and tell us to come back?”

“I was busy doing something else. Someone must have tricked you.”

“OI! Who the ‘eck is the clown with the weird face?” Marine asked.

Dimentia smacked her face. “Let me guess: you found this raccoon girl on Aquaria and now she wants to join?”

Nigel chuckled nervously.

**Outside**

Rachel continued to fly through space on Zim’s ship, still contemplating whether or not she wants to go through with decommissioning. Her thinking was interrupted when she was blasted by an incoming white ship with angel wings. “Sayest thy prayers, Zim! For thou hast met and untimely date with-” Luvbi stopped when she flew by the ship’s window and saw that it wasn’t Zim. “Pray, thou art not Zim! Who art thou?”

“No, I’m not Zim! My name is Rachel, and I-”

“Stopeth thine tongue! Didst thou say… Rachel?”

“Uh, yes?”

Luvbi smiled happily.

**GKND H.Q.**

“Anyway, that’s why Marine would make a great addition to the team.” Nigel finished.

“So, can’t I please join, PLEASE? I can’t live without adventure!”

“Alright, fine, you can stay!” Dimentia complied, tired of hearing her voice. “Just make sure you-” She was interrupted when the Magiblots came flying in.

“Dimentia!” exclaimed Blue. “Luvbi’s coming and she brought someone along!”

“Who…” Dimentia said, taking out her magic mirror. She gasped after seeing who Luvbi brought back into the hangar. “NO!”

Nigel and the others heard the doors open and looked over to see Luvbi drifting in along with… Nigel’s eyes widened. “R-RACHEL?”

Rachel smiled brightly. “NIGEL!”

“NO!” Dimentia exclaimed.

The two friends ran over and embraced each other in a hug. The others watched and smiled after seeing Nigel reunited with his friend. Gabe and Jeremy, who were in there as well, were happy too.

Marine, being the newest member, was the only one confused. “Ah don’t get it! Are those two in love or somethin’?”

And then a second later, Rachel grit her teeth and PUNCHED Nigel in the face! The boy fell on his back and everyone else gaped in surprise. “Where. The. **Hell**. WERE YOU?!” Rachel knelt down and began punching him in the chest. “Not only do you disobey my orders and go on the cake mission, but you have the NERVE to run away with these aliens without a second’s notice?! I should have to shoved in the decommissioner RIGHT NOW!”

“Ack! Rachel, I’m sorry! I wanted to say good-bye to everyone, but it was my only chance, and I thought if I didn’t take it, I-”

“I don’t wanna hear ANY of your EXCUSES! You LEFT ME! You left Sector V, you left Numbuh TEN, you left…you left…” Rachel stopped and started crying into his chest. _“You left us…”_

Nigel softly put his arms around her. “I’m sorry…”

Dimentia was royally baffled by the performance. “What…What is this?”

“It’s love.” Ava shrugged. The word made Dimentia wince, and her eye started twitching.

The two got back up on their feet. “Listen, Rachel, I’m sorry I didn’t come to say good-bye. It was on short notice, and… well…”

“It’s okay. I’m sorry I took you off the cake mission. If I’d known it would be the last time I see you…”

“Well, I didn’t technically retrieve the cake. At least, not from Gabe over there.”

“What? I couldn’t help it was delicious!” Gabe replied.

“You and your appetite!” Infinity scolded.

“Even so,” Rachel continued, “if you hadn’t went against my orders, you never would’ve made it here. This place is pretty cool!”

“Yeah, I guess so. Oh! I haven’t introduced you to the guys!” He walked Rachel over to the team. “This is Ava. She’s from Glomour.”

“She looks just like-”

“Numbuh 10, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah!”

“Right, anyway, this is Dib. He came from Earth to find an alien called Zim.”

“Zim? Hey, that was the alien who kidnapped me and brought me up here!”

“Wait, ZIM brought you here?” Dib asked.

“Yeah. He was going to turn me into his leaders, but when he heard them talking trash about him, he let me go. He’s probably trying to get back at them.”

Dib remained speechless and shocked.

“This is Luvbi. She’s from Skypia.”

“I think we already met.”

Luvbi chuckled. “Sorry for yonder mishap.”

“This tiny alien is Kweeb, from Kateenia.”

“Aw, he’s so cute!”

Kweeb blushed. “I get that a lot!”

“And lastly, this is Marine the Raccoon.”

“ _Captain_ Marine the Raccoon. Now, answer me, mate: is she your girlfriend?”

Nigel blushed. “Well, she, uh…” he chuckled nervously.

“He doesn’t have to answer that, Marine.” Rachel said.

“Awww. Fine.” Marine pouted.

“Mayhap we should giveth the two some alone time.” Luvbi suggested.

“Yeah, I have to go do something, anyway.” Ava said. With that, the team left, followed by Gabe and Jeremy.

“Those are some friends you have there.” Rachel said.

“Yeah, but they’re no replacement for my old ones.”

“That reminds me: listen Nigel, you have to come back to Earth!” Dimentia gasped at this.

“Why?”

“Because everything’s a wreck down there! Numbuh 10’s too upset to do any news segments, Sector V hasn’t beaten a single mission… and we all just plain miss you down there. Even Lizzie and my brother. Please, you have to come back!”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” interrupted Dimentia, stepping in between them, “but you’re not his Supreme Leader, anymore. I am, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s staying here.”

“You may be his leader, but you don’t control his life!” Rachel retorted. “Only he does!”

“Fine! Then I’ll let HIM decide! But before you do Number 1-”

“ _Numbuh_ 1.”

“What. Ever. Just listen to this: your friends on Earth may be upset without you, but they don’t need you. The Galactic Kids Next Door need you, and Jirachi… he needs you, too. You wouldn’t want to abandon poor Jirachi in his time of need, would you, Nigel?”

Nigel was silent for a moment before turning back to Rachel. “I’m sorry Rachel… but she’s right. They do need me up here.”

Rachel held her head down.

“Rachel, I-”

“It’s okay, Nigel. I understand. They need you and… we don’t. And I think it’s great that you’re helping the Kids Next Door like this. You deserve this rank. (Even though you have to listen to _her_.)”

“Oh… Well, thanks for understanding.”

Dimentia smiled, knowing she’s won. “Well, it’s great that you two have come to an understanding! I’d like to let Rachel join, but only one kid per planet is allowed, so if you let me show you to the door, I’ll-” she began as she tried to shove Rachel to the exit, but was stopped by Nigel.

“Wait! She can hang around here for a little bit, can’t she?”

“No, she has to go _now_.”

“Dimentia, please!” Nigel begged. “Just for one day! Let her stay.”

Dimentia thought for a moment and sighed. “Fine. One day. But then she leaves. Understood?”

The two smiled and Nigel nodded. He then took Rachel’s hand and led her to a doorway. “So, can I get you anything?” he asked.

“Do they have any meatball sandwiches?”

Dimentia and her Magiblots simply watched. “Well, that whole plan turned into a bust.” Yellow said.

“Yeah, but at least he’s staying here, anyway.” Dimentia replied.

“Yeah, but no there’s no way she’s gonna wanna decommission herself now!” Blue replied.

“So, what’s the plan, O great leader?” Red asked, wittingly.

“I’m thinking of something, alright? Let’s go get a drink.”

**The _Massive_**

In a hallway on the _Massive_ , Tallest Red was in an argument with his maid, Consuela, by the windows, holding a bottle of blue substance. “Look, it’s not lemon pledge, but it’s just as good; it’s the same brand, now clean the windows.”

“N-Nooo. It leave a filth.”

“Look, I don’t care about that, just clean the windows!”

“Nnnooo.”

Just then, Red’s cellphone rang. He checked the caller ID, which read _Agent A_. “Alright, I gotta take this. Just go feed the soldiers their broccoli.” Consuela left as Red answered his phone. “Hey there, you. What’s new?” There was talking on the other side. “What? What do you mean she’s at the base? …Zim? Gee, why am I not surprised?” Red sighed. “Star Wolf will NOT be happy about this. Alright, just keep spying. I better go let Star Wolf know the bad news.”

Just as he hung up, he received another call and answered. _“Yo Red, it’s Wolf. We searched everywhere, but no sign of this Rachel. However, we did find her little brother tied to a chair and knocked out. He was listening to some REALLY bad music.”_

“Yeah, my spy just called. She said Zim brought her up to the base.”

_“WHAT? Well, talk about a wild goose chase! Alright, so what now?”_

“Just forget the whole thing. We’ll wait for our spy to report again. Red OUT.” He hung up and walked away. He then came back and looked to… us?

“And YOU, out there reading the story. Yeah, I’m talking to you! It may be pretty obvious by now who our spy is, but no telling the GKND… or else.” With that, he left.

**Star Haven**

Nigel and Rachel were sitting at the edge of the Dream River, with their feet hanging over the nearly full river. The mariachi band was standing on a nearby tree playing their music. “And welcome back to the happy times of Nigel and Rachel. It has been a few hours since the two reunited, and in that time, they walked around the base, ate meatball sandwiches, and Nigel shared some of his interesting stories with Rachel. The two are now sitting together at the Star Haven. Let us go see.”

“…and after we shot a fireball into its mouth, the dragon exploded and Ripto fell into the pit of lava!”

“Did you get the Star?”

“Oh, yeah, it came out of the lava, unscathed. Now it’s back here!”

Rachel giggled. “Sounds like you had some exciting adventures!”

“I do, don’t I?”

“And… this place is pretty beautiful.”

“Yeah… it is.”

“It’s too bad I can’t hang around here.”

“I don’t think you’d want to with Dimentia!”

“Yeah… but I’d still be with you, though.”

“I guess so.”

They were silent for a moment until Rachel spoke, “You know, I never once imagined you being at a higher rank than me. I mean, I know you’re good and all, but still!”

Nigel laughed. “I didn’t either! ’Course, I do miss the days when you were my Supreme Leader. You were a great leader.”

She looked away. _“So were you.”_

Nigel looked to see her body was shaking a little. “Rachel… are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine. Thanks.” She replied weakly. But in a few seconds, she broke down and cried, while stuffing her face in Nigel’s chest. “Nigel, please come back to Earth! Please!”

The Brit held her close. “Come on, Rachel, don’t cry. You know I’ll always be with you, right?”

“Yeah, but it’s not the same. Why can’t you be with me on the _outside_ , too?”

“Cough, that is a heavily implied sentence, Señorita.” The band leader coughed. Nigel glared at them, before focusing back on Rachel.

“Rachel…” She looked up at him. “Smile.” …She made a weak smile. “Now, think fast!” In an instant, he pushed her into the water and laughed. She soon climbed back up and pulled him in, too. The two were laughing and playfully splashing each other.

The shadow being, who watched from behind a tree, felt a tear escape his eye.

**The _Massive_**

In a dark room on the _Massive_ , Zim was tinkering with some wires in some type of machine. He later stopped and shut the compartment. “There. That should do it. Come on, GIR. Let’s find a way out before we’re spotted.”

The robot was eating another muffin. “I needs me some ketchup!”

As they were about to walk out, Zim looked back and said, “If you thought I was bad with technology before, my Tallest… just wait.”

**GKND H.Q.**

Once the day was over, Nigel and Rachel walked back to the hangar with Dimentia and her henchmen. “So, I guess this is good-bye, then?” Rachel asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

“It was great seeing you again, Nigel. I’m glad I got to find you.”

“Me, too.”

“Oh, that reminds me: Zim gave me these.” She walked up and handed him his sunglasses.

“My sunglasses! Thanks, Rachel! I really could’ve used these back on Secco!”

“No problem. Actually, there’s something else…”

“Hmm?”

“Well, I…I sort of… lo-”

“AHEM!” They were startled by an impatient Dimentia. “I don’t have forever, you know. So, hurry up!”

They looked back to each other. “So, I’ll… see you, Rachel.”

“Good-bye, Nigel.” With that, she stepped onto the ship and activated the autopilot, which was set for Earth.

Nigel watched as the ship rose into the air and Rachel looked back at him with a sad face. In an instant, the ship took off, and the Brit held his head down in depression.

Dimentia approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know how you must feel right now, but don’t worry.” She smiled. “Pretty soon, you won’t even think she ever existed.”

Nigel looked at her, upset, and walked off.

**Planet Earth; outside Rachel’s house**

It was nighttime when Rachel landed back on Planet Earth, in front of her house. She stepped off the ship and looked to the starry sky. While she was happy with what Nigel was doing, she was still unsure of his leader. 

Either way, Rachel’s heart was filled with sorrow. She finally met with her special friend again, after 3 months, but ultimately failed to bring him back. Nothing changed at all, it seemed. She was glad that he wasn’t angry at her or anything, but to her it didn’t matter if he wasn’t here. She would always feel a part of her was missing inside. She glumly stepped into her house, walked up the stairs, and tiredly plopped down in her bed, tears dripping from her face as she fell into sleep.

The shadow being, who watched from the window, flew back up into space. Once there, he pulled out his sword and spoke to it. “Exor! The time for hiding is OVER! Now is the time for action! Now is the time… _I repay my debt_. So swears _I_ : the Nightmare KING!”

**GKND H.Q.**

Dimentia was back in her throne with her Magiblots. “Finally, she’s gone!” Dimentia exclaimed. “Alright, since we couldn’t get her decommissioned early on, we’ll just wait for her official decommissioning, then we’ll carry out the plan.”

“That’s not for another 2 whole years!” replied Blue.

“Well, it’s the only option we’ve got! We can’t let Nigel know the Star is her necklace. Not yet. For now, let’s get some rest. I get the feeling an old friend will be paying us a visit.

**Nigel’s room**

Nigel was lying on his bed in depression. He heard the door open and looked to see Ava. “You okay?” she asked. He nodded. “I was watching. You looked like you really wanted to go with her.”

“I did. But the Kids Next Door comes first.” Nigel replied. But in truth, he was more unsure than ever.

“Well, she may be gone, but I’m still here if you wanna talk.”

“…Thanks Ava. You’re a great friend, too. You and the others.”

She smiled. “I should get to sleep, too. Hood night.” With that, she walked out, leaving him to sleep.

As Ava walked back to her own room, she couldn’t help but feel strong guilt.

 

**And there we go. Pretty sad, eh? Eh, not really, but I promise in my later stories, emotional scenes will get better. XD Next time, we’ll head to the next world.**


	22. Welcome to Nightmare Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Nightmare King has captured Numbuh 10! Nigel goes to Nightmare Land alone to save her.

**Okay, it’s time we head for the next world. Take note that there are only 3 worlds left and they’ll all be majorly important to the plot. So, here we go.**

****

**_

Chapter 22: Welcome to Nightmare Land

_**

_Nigel was in another nightmare. He was standing on a strange, gray platform in the center of a dark purple realm. “Ugh… where am I?” he said dizzily._

_“Welcome, Nigel Uno.”_

_“What? Who’s there?”_

_“It is I: the Nightmare King.”_

_“YOU! So, you’re the one who’s been sending me all these nightmares! Show yourself!”_

_“You are strong-willed, I’ll give you that. But even the best operatives have their weakness. I will not show my face to you now, but if you wish to see me, then come to my homeland of Nightmare Land in the darkest corner of Galaxia, alone.”_

_“And just why would I do that?”_

_“Because I have something I think you want. Something you need.”_

_“What?”_

_“Does SHE seem familiar?”_

_Out of the darkness, an image can be seen of an orange-haired girl with a ponytail. “EVA!”_

_“Yes. I have Eva in my custody. If you want to save her, come to the Fear Factory in Nightmare Land. I’ve marked the location of Nightmare Land on your map. And remember: come alone, and don’t tell Dimentia. Or else.”_

The nightmare ended and Numbuh 1 was back in his room just in time to hear his alarm clock. _HAANH! HAANH! HAANH!_

“Why does the Nightmare King want me to come to his lair all of a sudden?” he asked himself. “Oh well. If he’s got Eva, then I have to go.”

**Nightmare Land**

“I sent him the message.” the Nightmare King said. “I’ll leave you to the rest.”

Eva smirked evilly. “Perfect. I can’t wait to see Nigel again!” She walked off.

**GKND H.Q.; Hangar**

Nigel was getting in his Arwing, preparing to take off, with his friends watching him. “Are you SURE we can’t come with you?” Dib asked.

“Yeah. How do you know he’s really got your cousin? What if it’s a trap?” Ava asked.

“Whether he’s got her or not, I need to speak to this king. He’s been sending me these nightmares for SOME reason.”

“Hast thou gone MAD?” Luvbi exclaimed. “This be NOT like any other planet we hath been to! This is yonder Nightmare Land! The realm where all greatest fears are unleashed, and yonder Fear Factory is the worst of all!”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not coming along. I can handle myself against a few minor fears. Even my own. You guys just make sure Dimentia doesn’t find out. See you later.” With that, he took off.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing.” Dib said.

“Yeah. Listen, you guys go see what Dimentia’s doing, I need to go do something.” Ava replied. With curious looks, the others nodded and ran off.

**Nightmare Land**

A few hours had passed and Nigel continued to follow the trail on his map. As it seemed he was getting close, he looked ahead to see what appeared to be a large, mechanical city in the middle of space. He gulped, thinking this must be the place.

As soon as he landed, he looked around to see the town was populated by freaky monsters. Some of them were your average monsters (i.e. werewolves, vampires, etc.), while others looked a bit more… psychotic. Although, despite it being in the middle of space, the air was as fresh there as in the Star Haven.

“For a Nightmare town, this place doesn’t seem all that scary.” he said to himself as he made his way to the center of town. There appeared to be an enormous statue of a cloaked demon with a big nose and horns. He was startled when the eyes on the statue lighted up and a speaker came out of its mouth.

_“Welcome to Nightmare Land, the kingdom where all your greatest nightmares come true! Here in this terrifying land, you will be forced to face your greatest fears! The source of all these fears comes from the fearful fortress known as the Fear Factory. So, if you think you have the guts, then come see the Nightmare King at his factory, which lies in the northern part of the city. Enjoy!”_

Once the speaker was silenced, Nigel looked ahead to see a large factory.

****

_

Insert action stage here. X( Sorry.

_

Finally, Nigel had reached the factory, which seemed heavily guarded from the outside. “How am I supposed to get in there?” he asked to no one. He noticed a row of air vents that led straight into the factory. “’Guess even Nightmares need air.” he said as he snuck over and climbed into the vents. Before getting too far, he peeked his head out and looked around, noticing something was odd. “Where’s the mariachi band? Probably too afraid to come along.” With that, he crawled back through.

**Coruscant; Corneria**

Star Wolf was back at the station in Corneria, sitting in their ships. However, they weren’t the ships they normally use. These ones were a yellowish brown, with six wings and two engines. Rattlesnake Jake’s new armor was lined up with several more wings, more lasers, and six rockets.

“Okay, team, I just got a call from Red.” Wolf said. “We’re heading for Nightmare Land!”

“Wait until that brat gets a load of our new ships!” Leon snickered.

“It will most definitely put him to the test.” Panther replied.

“I can’t wait to-” Jake began, but stopped when something flew over his head. “D-Did you see that?”

“See what?” Wolf asked.

“I-I thought I saw a bird.”

Wolf sighed. “Jake, you and this thing with birds.”

“B-B-Birds eat snakes, Wolf! Birds eat snakes!” he replied shakily.

“Whatever. Let’s just take off.”

**Fear Factory**

Nigel continued to crawl through the dark vents of the Fear Factory. In the distance, he could hear strange voices. _“It was MY turn, you insolent bad of bugs!”_

_“You had your turn, Doll Face! Now, it’s Oogie’s turn to boogie now!”_

Nigel crawled over an opening to see he was above a prison room, and two monsters were playing a game of Uno in the cell. One of them seemed to be a large spider made of stitches and parts for dolls, with button eyes, while the other one seemed to be a big bag with eyes and a mouth.

“You couldn’t defeat that skeleton wimp! I should go next!” the spider argued.

“Please. You’re a failure as a Nightmare if you can’t catch a snot-nosed little kid!” the bag retorted.

“At least I try to look scary! You couldn’t scare a cat!”

“Oh, YEAH? Well, you-” They stopped when they heard Nigel fall through the vent and land in front of their cell.

He recovered and looked up at the monsters. “Uh… hello.” he said nervously.

“Well, well, well. What have we here? A little bald man, huh, ooooo, I’m really scared!”

“Who are you two?”

“You’re looking at the one and only Oogie Boogie Man! And this oversized ragdoll here is Beldam.”

“We’ve been trapped in this cell for ages!” Beldam yelled. “Could you do us the favor of letting us out?”

“Wait a minute, why would I do that? You must be in here for a reason.”

“The Nightmare King put us in here, so we must be good! After all, he’s evil! Let us out and we’ll help you destroy him!”

“Sorry, but I’m not taking my chances. Anyhoo, you two wouldn’t happen to have seen a girl around here, have you? A human like me?”

“Well, listen to that, Oogie. He’s come to rescue the human in the other cell!”

“Other cell?” Nigel walked over to the next cell to see, lying on the bench, was none other than, “EVA!”

The redhead woke up and looked at him with a happy expression. “NIGEL!” She ran up to him.

“Eva, how did you get here?”

“The Nightmare King kidnapped me one night and locked me in this cell. I’ve been here ever since, listening to these two freaks!”

“HEY! We can hear you, too!” Oogie yelled.

“Hold on, Eva. Let me get you out of here!” Nigel drew his S.H.O.O.T.E.R. and shot the cell open as Eva walked out.

“I always knew you’d rescue me!” she exclaimed happily.

“Uhhh, yeah.” he replied, a little creeped out by her cheerful attitude. “Anyway, Eva, you’re probably wondering where I’ve been these past few months.”

“Oh, don’t worry, silly! I know you’ve been serving in the Galactic Kids Next Door!”

“You…You do?”

“Uh-huh! Numbuh 11.0 told me everything! I guess he was overcome by my charming good looks.”

Nigel was silent. “Eva, are you okay? There’s something different about you. And your voice has changed a little.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. I guess I must be happy to see you after so long!”

“…I guess so. Anyway, I need to see the Nightmare King. You wouldn’t happen to know where his chamber is, do you?”

“Sure I do! Just follow me!” she said as she ran ahead. Nigel, still confused by her suddenly cheerful attitude, followed behind.

“Eva, how do you even know your way around here so well?” Nigel asked, still following his cousin through some halls.

“Uhhh, girl’s intuition!”

“…Well, it’s not like I understand girls very well anyway.”

“And here we are! The Nightmare King is just through this door!” she said as they stopped in front of a door, which read _Target Practice_. “I’ll just wait out here. Good luck!” she giggled.

Still confused, Nigel opened the door and walked into a dark room. As he walked a few feet in, the door immediately shut behind him. He was ambushed by a pogo stick with a face, a walking bow and arrow with a face, and a stick-like figure made of spears.

“NYAR! The human has finally arrived, nyar! Shoot arrows at him will I, nyar!” said the bow.

“Enough of your singing, Bowyer! Let’s just do it quick!” replied the spear monster.

“Who the heck are you guys?” Nigel asked.

“Mack.” replied the pogo stick.

“Bowyer, nyar!” replied the bow.

“Yaridovich.” replied the spears. “We are the Nightmare King’s most loyal henchmen.”

“And you are trespassing in his factory, nya! So destroy you, we wiiill!” Bowyer took out some arrows and began firing at the bald Brit, but he quickly evaded. He took out his blaster and started shooting Yaridovich, but he blocked with some spears.

He looked to see Mack was trying to bounce on him. Seeing an opportunity, he grabbed onto the pogo monster and used him to bounce around. He made his way over to Yaridovich and was able to separate his parts by landing on him. Bowyer fired another arrow, but Nigel quickly jumped off and let the arrow hit Mack, freezing him stiff. “So, now it’s just me, nyar. Stop you, I will.” Bowyer fired more arrows at Nigel.

The Brit ran and avoided every shot. He leaped into the air and landed behind Bowyer, where he shot his string and broke it. “Nooo! My string, nyar!” Bowyer was silenced when Nigel jumped and kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

Nigel was then about to head back out, but stopped when he saw a picture on a nearby desk. Out of curiosity, he walked over to see it was a picture of, “Virginia Sims?” Indeed, it was a picture of the young goth girl from Sector K. “That’s strange. Why would the Nightmare King have a picture of Virginia?” After seconds, he put the picture back down and shrugged. “No matter. I have to get out of here.”

He walked out of the room and found Eva standing a few feet away. “EVA! That wasn’t it at all! That was a trap!”

“It was? Oopsie! Silly me! I must have miscalculated!”

Nigel walked over and looked at her suspiciously. “Eva, there is something DEFINITELY wrong with you!”

“What? I’m just acting like I always do! Always so cheerful!”

Nigel looked closer and saw something even more strange. “Eva… since when do you have blue eyes?”

“Uhhh, since I got new contacts?”

“…You’re not Eva!”

At this, ‘not’ Eva smirked. “So, you finally figured it out! I must say, it was a bit shorter than last time!”

“Last time? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, you don’t remember me? I’m someone you know very well, actually! We had such great times together in our short time of hanging out!”

“Wha… Who are you?”

“Are you suuure you don’t remember? Take a long time thinking about it. I’m sure you’ll figure out eventually!”

He thought for a moment. “Fanny?”

“Wha- NO! NO! Ugh, you’re hopeless! Fine. Maybe THIS will help.” With that, she was engulfed by a puff of dark smoke, and she revealed herself to be none other than…

“KATIE?” Nigel exclaimed.

Indeed, it was the very same Katie from Nigel’s utopia dream, same clothes and brown hair. “Oh, you DO remember me! How sweet!”

“What are you doing here? I thought you were just a dream created by Chester’s Happy Headband.”

“You mean the NIGHTMARE KING’S Happy Headband! He’s the one that created it! Not that idiot, Chester! Do you really think he would have the brains to create a device that brings kids into their own dream world?”

“Good point.”

“The Nightmare King created the headband and lent it to Chester, who failed to pay up his 5 million dollars, so he took it back. Once he had it back, he examined the dream data it picked up from your dream and found me in there! So, he downloaded me from the headband and VOILA! Katie lives!”

“Impressive.”

“Isn’t it? Anyhoo, back to the main subject: I’m still mad at you for what you did back in your dream, and now it’s time I get my revenge!” Katie paced around him.

“Pfft! I can take you!”

“Oh, really? The Nightmare King’s lent me some of his power, so that I could see your greatest fears! I know what you’re afraid of, Nigel, and I can use those fears against you.” She walked up to and looked him in the eye.

Nigel gave a fearful expression. “R-Really?”

Katie smirked. “REALLY!” And with that, she leaped backward and giant fly wings sprouted from her back. She rose up into the air as her face became that of a fly’s. Nigel backed up in fear of this. “Aw, what’s wrong? Afraid of a little horsefly?”

“You are NOT a little horsefly!”

“Yeah, I guess so. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have THIS!” She drew out two big needles. Nigel was shaking at the sight of Katie becoming the two things he fears most. “Don’t worry, Nigel. This won’t hurt a BIT!” In an instant, she zoomed down at him, attempting to stab him with the needles, but he avoided.

He tried firing his blaster at Katie, but she was as agile as a regular-sized fly. She shot blasts of green liquid from the needle, making Nigel jump and leap off the walls. He Wall Jumped all the way up to Katie and hopped onto her. Once on, he ripped her wings off, making her drop. She recovered shortly after and started to swing the needles at Nigel like swords.

He swiftly dodged every shot and fought back with his blaster. He successfully shot her in the eye, making her cover it. With her guard down, he kicked the needles out of her hands and kicked her to the wall. In an instant, her fly face reverted back to her real face. “Well, look at that, Katie! Looks like I faced my fears!” Nigel exclaimed.

“SCARFIES!” Katie called, and in an instant, a swarm of floating, orange balls with wings and happy faces appeared.

“Oh, please! Like those things could scare me!”

At this, the Scarfies turned red, and grew sharp teeth and had one eye. “Well, now they kind of do, but I can still take them!” Nigel began shooting the Scarfies with his blaster, but it seemed that with every Scarfy he shot, another one appeared. “There’s too many!” he said, nearly out of breath. He soon felt that there was no way out of this, but that feeling vanished when he saw one of the Scarfies was dark-purple. “Yes! One with a Wisp!”

“NO! Don’t shoot-” Katie was too late as Nigel shot the purple Scarfy, making all the others cower and retreat, giving Nigel a confused expression. He looked to where he shot the purple Scarfy and saw a Wisp spawning back together. He instantly recognized it as one of those Wisps from Dimentia’s dungeon.

The Wisp looked at him and began snarling, making Nigel worried. The bald Brit screamed as the Wisp roared and shot to him with its mouth wide open. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that he wasn’t eaten and that the Wisp must’ve flown into his body. Nigel was then left wondering what would happen now, while Katie looked worried.

Soon, Nigel felt some kind of pain in his body and looked to his right hand to see some dark purple substance was crawling up his skin. He tried to pull the substance off, but failed. As the substance engulfed his skin, he saw a vision of him, Lizzie, and Eva at Sector J.

_“And what is wrong with dating Nigel Uno?”_

_“Nothing, if you like bald workaholics who wear Rainbow Monkey underwear! It’s, like, always sticking out of his shorts and stuff!”_

Seeing this made Nigel a little angry, and the substance began covering him faster as he saw another vision of when his friends made fun of his butt.

_“Come on, guys. I just wanna put this whole thing behind me.”_

_“Well, you got enough room for it back there!”_

“Urgh! What… kind of… Wisp… is this?” he grunted, still trying to force it off.

_“You and your team are ordered to stay away from this cake mission! Is that clear?”_

_“But-”_

_“Is that clear?”_

_“Yes.”_

Nigel screamed as the dark substance covered his entire body and the Color Power was activated. Nigel was transformed into a monster with dark purple armor and skin, and vicious, glowing eyes. Katie immediately got up and ran down the hall, just in time for Sir Kibbles to appear and surround Nigel.

The bald Brit, in his monstrous form, opened his large mouth to reveal sharp teeth. He ran around and started to grab the soldiers in his mouth, shaking them around before throwing them against the wall. He also launched dark lasers at the soldiers, making them explode into dust.

Once they were all gone, the dark operative huffed in anger. The purple substance dissolved and the Wisp flew out of his body. Nigel was breathing heavily. “Man… I’m glad that’s over.” He took more breaths. “What was that?” He thought for a minute. “Oh well. No use thinking about it now. I need to find the Nightmare King.” (Play “Music Madness” from _Donkey Kong Returns_.)

As he continued to venture the halls, he peeked into a nearby room to see walking hammers with eyes hitting small weapons on treadmills. He looked to the center of the large room to see a chicken in a giant robot stomping on strange colorful rocks in a bucket, turning them to dust. The dust spilled out of a faucet and onto the small weapons, giving them color and life. “This must be how he makes Nightmares.” Nigel said to himself.

Nigel shut the door and walked forward to another hall. This hall had several doors lined up along it with peoples’ names labeled on. He looked to see one of the doors was labeled _Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr._ and went inside. He ended up in what looked like the Amish Sector and saw Hoagie lying on the ground.

Hoagie woke up and looked around. “What? Where am I?” he said. “Oh no! Sector A! No technology! NOOOOO!” Nigel quickly ran out.

“These must be the different peoples’ nightmares.” Nigel figured. He then walked into a room labeled _Kuki Sanban_ and saw his Japanese friend crying in the middle of a gloomy town where Rainbow Monkeys were being burned in a fire.

“Poor Rainbow Monkeys! Why does this have to happen?”

Not wanting to see her cry more, Nigel left. He went into the room labeled _Wallabee Beatles_ to find the blonde Aussie playing tea party with Rainbow Monkeys.

“Would you like some more tea?”

Wally drank some imaginary tea and said, “Eh, this isn’t TOO bad!”

Soon after, Kuki came in, holding Ace’s hand. “Hey, Wally! Guess what? Me and Ace are going out!”

“NOOOOOOOOO!”

Nigel left and looked to see one with Abby’s name. Curious to what she might be afraid of, he went inside to find his friend standing in front of a pile of candy with her mouth agape. “MAN, THAT’S A LOT OF CANDY!” she exclaimed. The choco-skinned girl dove into the candy and started eating. Her excitement was cut short as she fully tasted it. “Oh no… it’s… SUGAR-FREE! AHHHHHH!”

Nigel instantly left and moved on to the next one, which was Fanny’s. He looked inside to see Fanny was in a field, surrounded by boys. “Come on, Fanny! Come roll in the mud with us!” one said.

“Yeah, and eat bugs!”

In a flash of light, Fanny found herself forcibly doing that. “AHHHHHHH!”

Nigel looked to see Rachel’s name labeled on one and looked inside. He was in a helicopter and saw Rachel about to skydive, with Patton standing by her. “Patton, I’m not so sure about this…”

“Nonsense, Rach! You can do it! Good luck!” Patton pushed her off the edge, and Rachel began screaming as she was falling from the sky. She tried to activate the parachute, but an anvil came out instead. Rachel’s screaming silenced when she hit the ground.

“RACHEL!” Nigel shouted. “No, no! Calm down, Uno! It’s not real, it’s just a nightmare!” Nigel left and moved on to the next door. He ignored Sonya’s door, already knowing what to expect, and instead went into Harvey’s door.

Once in, he saw the germ freak standing in the middle of the living room of his treehouse, only they were about the size of ants. “W-Where am I?” Harvey asked himself. “How did I get so tiny?” Just then, they could hear stomping. They looked to see Sonya, Paddy, and Lee walking toward Harvey.

 _“I wonder where Harvey is?”_ Sonya asked, her voice echoing.

“HEY, GUYS! DOWN HERE!” At this, the three looked down to see their friend shrunken.

 _“Harvey? How did you get so small?”_ Sonya asked.

“I don’t know! I went to sleep and woke up like this! You guys gotta take me to my sister!”

The three exchanged glances and looked back down at him. _“We’ve got a better idea.”_ Sonya replied.

“W-What are you-” Harvey stopped when he saw Sonya raise her foot, and screamed as her foot came down and crushed him.

“Whoa, talk about feeling betrayed.” Nigel said, walking out of the room. He then walked into the next room, which belonged to Eva, and found his cousin waking up from her bed, only her face was hideously misshapen and ugly.

Eva looked into her dresser mirror and gasped. “AHHHHHHHHH!”

Grossed out himself, Nigel walked out. The next room read _Kade Jackson_ , who Nigel remembered as Numbuh 11.0. There, he found 11.0 watching Eva make out with Numbuh 30c. “Oh, Kenny. You’re SO handsome and you’re SO much sweeter than Kade!”

“Oh, stop! Your embarrassing him!” With that, they made out some more, with Kade looking like he was going into mental breakdown. “NOOOOOOOO!”

Nigel walked out of the room and finally decided, “That’s it, no more nightmares.” However, he couldn’t resist when he saw the next door: “‘Rattlesnake Jake’? This should be good!”

He walked into Jake’s nightmare and found the snake curled up in the middle of a bird’s nest. “Ugh… where am I?” he asked, looking around. He then looked in fear to see the eggs in the nest beginning to hatch and big baby birds came out. “No! Get away from me! NOOOOO!”

Nigel instantly walked out and burst into laughter. “Oh, MAN! Who would’ve expected THAT?” he exclaimed, laughing some more. “Okay, let’s move on!” With that, he continued down the long hallway.

Finally, he made it to the end and found double-doors. Above, he saw the label _Nightmare King’s Throne_. “Well, here we are.” He said, slowly approaching. “It’s time to get some answers.” He went in.

 

**The Nightmares come from the _Kirby_ series, as well as _Mario RPG_. Oogie Boogie comes from _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ and the Beldam comes from _Coraline_.**  


  



	23. The Nightmare King’s Memoirs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel faces the Nightmare King.

**Okay, mates, it’s time to fight the Nightmare Land boss! I actually really like this one.**

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Chapter 23: The Nightmare King’s Memoirs

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**Fear Factory Throne Room**

Slowly, Numbuh 1 entered the double doors, and found himself in the Nightmare King’s chamber. Inside, there was a large transporter in the center, a man with pink skin and a purple suit sitting at a computer desk, and a shadow being sitting on a throne similar to Dimentia’s. Katie was in front of the throne on her knees and panting heavily. The shadow being tossed her a bottle of red liquid, which Katie drank before standing up. After looking to Nigel, she went into a nearby corner.

Nigel looked up at the shadow. “So, I take it you’re the Nightmare King?” he asked.

The shadow was silent for a moment. “Yes. My name is Darkrai II, and I am the king that rules the Nightmares, and President of Nightmare Enterprises.”

“A rather powerful organization, might I add.” the pink-skinned man replied. His voice sounded like the one from the speaker.

“And you…” Darkrai continued. “Who are you to come into my kingdom and cause an uproar?”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who summoned me here!”

“Yes, I called you here. But you didn’t have to make a mess of my precious Nightmares! Especially Katie!”

“Why do you- Oh, never mind! Now start talking! Why did you send me all those Nightmares? What do they mean?”

“I see you’re desperate for answers. But they should be plainly obvious. Don’t you know?”

“No…”

“Hmm… Then you’re more cruel than I thought.”

“WHAT?”

“SILENCE! You broke into my factory and attacked my loyal Nightmares! One way or another, I will make you pay! Customer Service: take Katie to the next room!”

The pink man bowed before taking Katie into a nearby room.

“Now, Nigel Uno…” continued the king, “It’s time I take you on a trip through the Tides of Time! DARK VOID!” Darkrai threw a ball of darkness into the air as it exploded. Nigel screamed as the whole room was engulfed in darkness. Once it cleared, Nigel looked to see he was now at a city pool.

“Wait a minute!” he exclaimed. “This is where my old team and I first fought Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb!”

“That’s right!” Nigel looked across the pool to the lifeguard tower to see the Nightmare King sitting in it.

“Darkrai, why did you bring me here?”

“While I may not be the God of Time, my Nightmare powers can bring people to places they’ve been to in the past. Let’s see how well you remember your times on Earth when I rehash other battles. Now, FIGHT!” (Play Zant’s Battle Theme from _Zelda: Twilight Princess_!)

 

_Boss fight: Darkrai II_

The lifeguard tower spread its legs and began walking, just like Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb’s. A giant laser came out from the back and shot at the bald Brit. Nigel avoided, but the tower quickly pursued. Nigel tried shooting his blaster at the king, but Darkrai hid his skinny, white head in his shadowy body, keeping him safe like a turtle. “No good.” Nigel said. “There has to be some way to beat him. How did I do it before… GOT IT!” he exclaimed as an idea struck. “Hey, Horror Head! Come get me!” With that, Nigel dove into the pool and swam around below. The tower approached and stood over him, extracting its large drill.

The drill spun and shot down at the Brit, but Nigel quickly swam out of the way and got back on land. The drill instead hit the bottom of the pool, causing all the water to drain out and the tower to collapse, leaving a dizzy Nightmare King. With his weak spot exposed, Nigel took out his blaster and shot him in the head, causing him pain.

Darkrai recovered and rose into the air. He threw another dark ball, which exploded and took Nigel to the Ice Cream Factory. Darkrai made himself bigger and began shooting ice cream blasts at Nigel. “Now how did we beat this guy?” Nigel asked himself, running from the ice cream blasts. He noticed a heater, which went up to ‘like buhmillion,’ and struck another idea. He turned the heater up to buhmillion and the vents surrounding Darkrai shot fire right at his weak spot.

The Nightmare shrunk back down and threw another dark ball, taking them to the next room. This was where he fought Gramma Stuffum in her Chunk Wagon. On cue, Darkrai came breaking through the big doors in Stuffum’s Chunk Wagon and began shooting green energy balls at him. Nigel, remembering this fight, ran over to a nearby switch and hit it, making a giant donut drop to the center.

As Darkrai was trying to destroy the donut, Nigel went over to hit the next switch, which lowered the platform the Chunk Wagon was on. Finally, he went to hit the last switch, dumping the jelly on the Chunk Wagon and destroying its barrier. With the barrier gone, Nigel took the time to shoot Darkrai’s head. Soon, the Chunk Wagon was destroyed and they moved on to the next room.

Next, they were taken to Knightbrace’s Cavity Cave and Darkrai sat himself in Knightbrace’s Dental Assault Chair. The fierce Nightmare King shot blasts of toothpaste at him, but Nigel swiftly avoided. Afterwards, the drills on the machine rose up and shot at Nigel, but missed and got stuck in the ground.

With the Assault Chair now immobilized, Nigel knew what to do next: run behind the chair and blast the weak spot on the back, just like last time. Once it was destroyed, the chair shut down, and Darkrai took them to the next room. This time, they were in Stickybeard’s candy treasury as Darkrai jumped out of the candy pile, holding a lollipop axe.

He picked up huge pieces of butterscotch and tossed them at Nigel, like Stickybeard did to Abby. While Nigel never fought Stickybeard directly, he knew how Abby beat him, so he began smashing all the chests until he found the Jolly Roger. He finally found it, only difference being it was shaped like Darkrai, not Stickybeard, and Darkrai dove into it right away, like Stickybeard would, making him dizzy from the impact. Nigel took advantage of this and blasted the Nightmare’s head.

Darkrai then warped them to the next room, which was the Great Puttinski’s basement golf course. Nigel noticed, like Numbuh 2, he was the size of a golfball, and the gigantic Nightmare King took out a golf club and started hitting giant golfballs at Nigel. Remembering Numbuh 2’s story, he ran over in front of the path to the windmill and tricked the Nightmare into knocking a ball up the path.

The ball rolled up the path and got caught in the windmill, activating the shrink ray, which then fired at Darkrai and shrunk him to Nigel’s size. Afterwards, the Brit took the time to shoot his weak spot. Once done, Darkrai threw another dark ball and took them to the next room.

They were now in Mr. Fizz’s soda factory, where he put kids into bottles. In seconds, Darkrai dressed himself in Mr. Fizz’s armor and began shooting soda at Nigel. Nigel led Darkrai up onto the treadmill where he began shooting the king with his blaster, knocking him out for a bit. Once he was down, Nigel leaped down to the treadmill lever and began switching it back and forth. In an instant, the soda in Darkrai’s armor was shaken and it exploded.

The angered king then took them to the next area, which was the school clock tower’s balcony. Nigel remembered this as when he fought Count Spankulot. In an instant, Darkrai popped up from behind Nigel and spanked him. Afterwards, he began firing hand rays, but Nigel evaded and made his way to the switch that activates the lights.

The lights activated and nearly blinded Darkrai, leaving Numbuh 1 to do away with him. Darkrai, getting more angered, took them to the next room, which was where Numbuh 362 took back her position as Supreme Leader from Father, covered in broccoli like before. Nigel looked to see he was completely surrounded by Darkrai clones, just like they were by Father clones.

The clones all fired dark balls at Nigel, while he avoided and shot some clones with his blaster, making them vanish. Trying to find the real one, Nigel got an idea and ripped out a piece of broccoli. He tossed it over to where the clones gathered and the presence of the broccoli made them all groan. Soon, the clones disappeared and Nigel proceeded to attack the real one.

“Thank Rachel for that!” Nigel exclaimed.

“THAT’S IT!” yelled the Nightmare King. “I’m through messing around! It’s time to finish you! DARK VOID!” Darkrai threw another dark ball, and it took them to the very last place Nigel remembers on Earth: the place where he was taken to GKND. Darkrai came down in front of the altar, where Nigel previously boarded his ship, and called, “EXOR!” He held out his hand and his trusty sword appeared out of thin air. “Come! Let’s finish this fool!”

“FINALLY!” the sword replied. “I’ve been getting sick of hearing you blab!”

Darkrai shot over to Nigel and began swinging his sword at him. The Brit avoided every speeding slash, but just barely since he was so exhausted from the other phases. “Wow, you’re pretty fast!” he panted.

“Being a ghost, I must be fast! Now to show you the true might of my sword!” Nigel kept dodging as Darkrai threw more slashes at him. At one miss, Darkrai threw his sword into one of the computer terminals. Oddly enough, a Dark Wisp came out and shot to Nigel.

“NO!” Darkrai yelled as Nigel turned into his monster form. The angered Brit quickly ran over to Darkrai and threw several fast punches at him. Soon, Darkrai’s sword was knocked out of his hand, and the darkened Brit opened his large mouth and began biting on Darkrai’s head, making the ghostly king scream in pain. (End song.)

Once finished, Nigel threw Darkrai against the wall and knocked him out, just in time for the Color Power to wear off. In an instant, they were taken back to Darkrai’s throne, just in time for Customer, Katie, and Darkrai’s three henchmen to come in. “DARKRAI!” Katie shouted.

“BOSS!” Customer shouted.

“NYAR! You attacked our king, nyar! How could you do this, nyarrrr!” sang Bowyer.

“Well… I guess that’s the end of Darkrai and his evil ways!” Nigel declared.

At this, Darkrai woke up angry. “EVIL?” he shouted. “Tell me something: does THIS seem EVIL TO YOU?” With that, some computer screens activated around the room, showing young Nightmare children playing baseball, soccer, and doing other kid stuff. Nigel looked confused.

“Now…” the screens turned off, and Nigel turned back to the Nightmare King. “…tell me… I’m _evil_!”

“Wait… I don’t understand. Back at the base, Dimentia told me you were-”

“I know what Dimentia told you! And she said that because I’M an adult! But you don’t have to go raising your guns at every adult you see!” Darkrai snapped.

“But aren’t you the spirit that spreads fear to children throughout the universe?”

“Yes. Here’s the story: my father, Darkrai I, was the original Nightmare King, and he was the one who founded Nightmare Enterprises, a company that makes and sells Nightmare monsters and products to people throughout the universe who want to use them. Like Chester, for example, whom I lent my Happy Headband to for a while. However, he failed to pay his 5 million dollars, so I had to take it back.”

“You charge 5 million dollars for THAT piece of garbage??”

“Hey, how often do mortals come across spirit-made products?”

“Well, why would you need money anyway?”

“I don’t, per se, but my Nightmares do. You see, me and the Nightmares spread fear to children for two reasons: one, because we think it’s rather hilarious, and two, because we need fear to survive. It’s our job to scare people, but we’re not really mean. We never want to hurt anyone. And as the Nightmare King, it’s my job to see what people are afraid of and use that fear to scare them. However, there are some Nightmares that turn rogue and do what they want. For example, Oogie Boogie would sooner cook and eat children than scare them, but in the end, he was stopped by one of my more superior creations, Jack Skellington. Then there’s Beldam, who would rather kidnap children and take their souls, but she was stopped by a young girl named Coraline. Even so, as Nightmare King, it is my job to see what people are afraid of and use those fears to scare them. For instance, Hoagie is afraid of no more technology, Abby is afraid of sugar-free candy, Rachel is afraid of heights, Harvey is afraid of being betrayed by his friends, and Rattlesnake Jake is afraid of birds.”

Nigel chuckled at that last part.

“We may spread fear to people, but we’re not evil. Except for my father, however. 300 years ago, my father planned an attack on Galaxia and nearly absorbed the power from Jirachi. In the end, he was destroyed by a great Star Warrior known as Kirby, leaving me to take the throne as Nightmare King. But when I did, I was charged with the crimes my father did and I was left with a debt to repay to the universe. Ever since what my father did, people throughout the cosmos began to have strong distrust in Nightmares, mainly judging them by how they look. That’s why, when I found Katie inside the Happy Headband, I decided to download her as the most beautiful Nightmare in the universe, and hoped that she wouldn’t be judged like all the others. But she was. Now, my wish is to give her a home where she could truly be happy, and not have to live with us monsters.”

Nigel looked over to notice Katie’s sad expression. He turned back to Darkrai and yelled in realization, “So, your father is the one who created the disease!”

“There is no disease! That’s all just a lie Dimentia told to Jirachi, so he could give her eternal youth!”

“WHAT?”

“Here’s the REAL story of how Planet Irk and the GKND came to be: it was almost 1,500,000 years ago. Every 100 years, Jirachi would awaken from his slumber, then go to play with his Wisp friends on Planet Wisp. But his happiness soon ended when the planet was attacked by a fierce demon, called Malladus U-” he stopped himself.

“Malladus… Who?”

“M-Malladus! Just Malladus. Anyway, when Malladus attacked Planet Wisp, Jirachi used his incredible power to temporarily imprison him in the Underworld. But by the time he did so, it was too late. The whole planet had been burned to a crisp, leaving only Gabe and Jeremy as the two remaining Wisps. That’s when my father came and mixed the Nightmare Sword, Exor, with the sacred sword, Galaxia, and gave Jirachi the power to bring the planet back to life. As a result of the nightmare power, green creatures were created, who are now known as the Irken Empire.

“The adult Irkens were the first _mortal_ adults to exist on Planet Wisp, but not the first adults in the universe. But Jirachi didn’t know that at the time. 100 years later, the adult Irkens had already established their rule over the children, led by Emperor Irk, the first Tallest. Emperor Irk came and attacked the Star Sanctuary to try to steal the Star Rod, but the Star Spirits took the legendary Galaxia Sword and destroyed the rod, breaking it into seven pieces. However, this drained the fountain and weakened Jirachi, so the Star Spirits ordered Gabe and Jeremy to take him on the Star Ship and escape.”

“But what about Dimentia?”

“I’m getting to that. Gabe, Jeremy, and Jirachi had been traveling through space for several years, and they found their selves being swallowed by a black hole. That particular black hole happened to be the location of Dimentia’s homeworld, Zathura.”

“Dimentia… lives in a black hole?”

“She used to. But that was before…”

**Zathura; 1,499,900 years ago**

Zathura was known by many as the “Dark World.” The sky had never seen the sun, and the people were lacking in color: all faces of black and white. If anyone would hope to find color, it was at Mindtwist Circus.

“WELCOME, all you faithful circus-goers!” announced the ringleaders. “Today, we have a VERY special guest in the audience: I humbly welcome King Darkrai, the King of Nightmares!” The spotlights shone on a secluded area of the audience, where the king sat. “And what a show we have for you, Your Highness! May I introduce, a child who defies physics, a creature like no other in the universe: THE SPACEBENDER!”

The lights shone on Dimentia herself, standing on her tippy-toes on a swing and balancing boxes and barrels on her nose. “Impressive, isn’t she?! And no matter what is thrown at her, she never falls down!” Other clowns tossed pies at Dimentia and shook her swing, but Dimentia remained perfectly balanced. The audience laughed ecstatically, and Darkrai’s dark laughter was among them.

She had to endure the laughter and perform embarrassing acts for a whole hour. When it was over, Dimentia went to the changing room to wash herself. She changed into another circus outfit, an exact replica of the one she was wearing. “Boy, those people don’t hold back, huh?” a voice said.

Dimentia gasped and turned, finding a strange black spirit. “You’re the Nightmare King!” Dimentia glared. “…Wait… something isn’t right. You look… smaller.”

“I know.” He spoke with a young voice. “I’m not the real Nightmare King. I’m a clone. My father created me to take his place in case something happens to him. ’Course, right now, I’m too young. …I’m sorry that he laughed at you.”

Dimentia raised a brow. “Well, for the Nightmare King’s clone… you’re unusually nice.”

“I know, it’s weird. I learned that the spirits and gods were meant to protect mortals, not hurt them. My father is evil. He treats our people like minions and soldiers and nothing more. No matter if they’re women, men… or children.”

“Hm hm hm.” Dimentia smiled. “Parents really are terrible. My parents dropped me and my brother at this circus. They hated our powers. We were unnatural. They told us so.”

“That’s a shame. I think you’re amazing.”

“Oh, what is that supposed to be, flattery?” Dimentia chuckled.

“What? I can’t give a girl a compliment?”

She laughed again. “You’re very weird… but thanks.”

_“So, you actually knew her?” Nigel asked._

_“I did. Outside her brother, I was the only friend she had. I visited her every day for a week. And then…”_

Dimentia gazed up with a look of awe. In the sky was something no one had ever seen on Zathura: a shooting star. Not only was she the first person to see it, but it was heading her way. “AAAAH!” She ran aside and ducked when the star CRASHED, creating a crater. When the smoke died, Dimentia curiously viewed the wreck. It was actually a blue boat with a star. Inside were two Wisps and a star-headed being.

“Dimentia, that’s Jirachi!” Darkrai said. Dimentia had taken the three aliens to her sleeping quarters. “I read about him. Jirachi is a Firstborn, a really powerful child god. Of all the Firstborn, Jirachi is said to be one of the most powerful. He’s supposed to be able to grant wishes.”

“He can grant wishes?”

“Yeah. Although… he needs the power of the Star Rod in order to do it, I think.”

“Well, where did you read this? I’d like to see the book.”

“Sure! I’ll fly back to Nightmare Land and get it.”

Jirachi and the Wisps had been unconscious for several days. Dimentia had kept the book, titled _The Eight Firstborn_ , and was reading the section on Jirachi. _The Fountain of Dreams, with Jirachi’s power… can restore one’s youth?_

“Mmmmmnn…” She heard groaning. Dimentia hid the book and looked to see Jirachi finally waking. “Huh? Where am I? Gabe? Jeremy?”

“Unnh… Jirachi?” Jeremy awoke. Gabe soon followed.

“You’re finally awake!” They turned to see Dimentia.

“Who are you?” asked Jirachi.

“I’m Dimentia. You three crashed from the sky on this weird ship. This is Planet Zathura. Just what happened with you?”

The three explained their story: how Planet Wisp was conquered by the Irkens, created by the Nightmare King. They explained how the Star Spirits destroyed the Star Rod to protect Jirachi. “Hm hm hm.” Dimentia laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Gabe asked.

“I was just thinking… how stupid adults are.”

“Huh?”

“The Star Spirits and the Nightmare King created adults on your planet, and they ruined everything. Clearly, they weren’t very clear with their orders. …Unless… the Star Spirits and Nightmare King PLANNED it!”

“What are you talking about?” Jeremy asked.

“Isn’t it a little odd that your world was ravaged by a demon, and the Nightmare King just so HAPPENS to be there, and the Star Spirits were so willing to work with him? What if they were PLANNING to enslave all the Wisps?”

“But that’s crazy!” Jirachi shouted. “The Star Spirits loved the Wisps! The Wisps were my friends!”

“Yeah! …Although they didn’t really seem concerned after Malladus wrecked everything.” Gabe replied.

“Well, there’s your proof!” Dimentia argued. “They were probably planning to create the Irkens all along, enslave all the Wisps, all the children! They needed Jirachi to do it, but they also knew Jirachi had the power to erase what they’ve created. And that’s why they destroyed the Star Rod.”

“But…But the Star Spirits loved me…” Jirachi frowned. “Why… would they do all that…”

Dimentia walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. “Because, Jirachi, they’re adults. There are adults on this planet, too. They’re evil. All of them. They do nothing but bring destruction and pain. The only way to stop them is to destroy them.”

“Des…Destroy them?”

“Yes. Adults like them destroyed your world. They’re even destroying MY world as we speak. And they manipulate us into doing what they say because they think we don’t know better. I should have realized it before. Jirachi, they used you! You need to take revenge!”

“But I love the Star Spirits! They take care of me!”

“By making you sleep in a rock?! Only letting you out for seven days, once every hundred years?! Don’t you realize THEY were the ones who abused your power? They were just biding their time, and now that they got what they wanted, they don’t need you, anymore! That’s why they sent you away. But then again, why wouldn’t they just tell you that directly if they had no more use for you…” Dimentia stroked her chin. Then, she realized: “You said that the Star Rod broke into seven pieces. That must mean… there’s a way to restore your power!”

“This is… so hard to believe…”

“I know it’s hard to accept… but there’s no other explanation. If the Irkens were a mistake, you could have easily destroyed them. But the Star Spirits wouldn’t let you. It was their plan.”

“…” Jirachi was on the verge of crying, his friends facing him. A smirk found its way on Dimentia’s face.

 

“Dimentia, I saw you speaking with Jirachi.” Darkrai said to her, outside on a field near the circus. “Why did you tell him all that? What made you assume…”

“Because I have a plan, Darkrai!” Dimentia whispered. “That book you gave me said that Jirachi can grant eternal youth! We can use him to stay young forever. We can make ALL kids young forever!”

“But… why would you want that?”

“You know how stupid adults are! They cause wars, they treat us like slaves, they destroy worlds! You admit that your father is evil! But if we have Jirachi, the Wishmaker, we can change the universe for the better! We can make a universe where kids rule! A perfect universe!”

“Dimentia… that’s crazy. I mean, I know we aren’t growing up under good adults, but not every one is like that. And besides… that’s abusing the power of a god. That’s forbidden. What you’re thinking of doing… it could ruin the Balance.”

“Balance, shmalance! Your father doesn’t care about the Balance, you said yourself that he hurts innocent people, he treats your own people as slaves! Maybe what we need to do is use their own power against them!”

“Dimentia, what you’re planning doesn’t sound any different from my father or the Irkens. I can’t go along with you. And I…I should tell Jirachi!”

Dimentia grit her teeth. “Oh, really? And how is Jirachi going to believe you? You’re a clone of the Nightmare King. For all he knows—for all **I** know… you’re just the same as him. A monster that only loves war and destruction. Doing it for no one but yourself. And if you don’t side with me… I’ll tell Jirachi just that.”

“. . . . . Dimentia.” Darkrai, Jr. closed his eye. “I understand.” And with that, he flew away.

**Present time**

“At that moment, I lost my courage.” Darkrai said. “I feared that she may have been right. I feared that I would one day become like my father. But I abandoned this fear long ago. Now I only feel regret. Due to Jirachi’s vast lack of information and experience about the outside worlds, Dimentia could easily manipulate him. She tricked him into destroying the Star Spirits and used him to remain young forever.”

“You mean all this time… I’ve never been helping the Kids Next Door? I’ve only been helping DIMENTIA?” Nigel asked with rage.

“Yes. But whether it was for Dimentia or not, you’re still as evil as her.”

“WHAT? I thought I was doing it for the Kids Next Door! Not Dimentia and her selfish desires!”

“What does it matter? You still left everyone you cared about behind.”

“What?”

“Your friends down on Earth really cared for you. And you cared for them. But you would rather work for the Kids Next Door than be with them. You said it yourself: your place is with your friends, and you knew you wouldn’t be a team forever, so you wanted to spend as much of your time hanging out with them! But it seems that was all a lie, because you left them for YOUR own desires! Even if the GKND’s purpose WASN’T for Dimentia, they could’ve held off the Irken Empire without you!”

Nigel looked down, feeling more ashamed than before. “I… You’re right, Darkrai. I did care about them. About them all. How could I leave them behind?…”

“Well, frankly, everyone has to leave their friends and loved ones behind, eventually. It’s all a part of growing up. But you: you’re NOT grown up! And you won’t be for a long time! That’s why you should be spending your childhood with your friends! Without you, their lives are misery, which is just what Dimentia wants!”

“What do you mean?”

“You see, the Fountain of Dreams isn’t just fueled by the wishes, but happiness that is caused by those wishes! Star beings hear those wishes and grant them, making the children happy and for the fountain to flow with positive energy, bringing life to all of Galaxia. But lately, the fountain has been flowing with nothing but negativity.”

“Why?”

“Because, Dimentia has been going around to the many different planets, searching for the most worthy operative to join GKND. In other words, the most loved and adored operative of that planet. She brings them into GKND, telling them that the people of that world aren’t ready to know about it yet, so their friends and family must never know. As a result, those operatives’ friends and family become worried and upset; negative emotions that fill the fountain with darkness.”

“But what about those dark Wisps?”

“Those were Nega Wisps. The Wisps are beings of positive energy as well, who get their power from drinking the fountain water. When they drank the negative energy from the fountain, they turned into incarnations of negativity, forcing anyone they latch onto to relive negative events in their life, turning them into bodies of negativity as well. And because of all this negative energy, the star beings that once flew through the haven have vanished.”

“But why does Dimentia need the negative energy?”

“She wants to capture the Nega Wisps and use them for something evil. What that is, I don’t know. But I do know who might, and you can find them in the secret room beneath the Fountain of Dreams.”

“But wait, if the disease was all a lie, then how do you explain my Grandfather’s powers?”

“Grandfather’s power is a power that’s run in the Uno Royal Family for ages.”

“Wait… I’M ROYALTY?”

“Yes, and your family is very well known at that. But that story’s best served for another time.”

“Fair enough. But just one more thing: why do you have a picture of Virginia?”

“Hmm… Well, some of my Nightmares like to leave to other worlds in search of a better life. One of them being Count Spankulot. He went to live on Earth and fell in love with a beautiful woman. He got married and had a wonderful daughter named Virginia Sims.”

“YOU MEAN VIRGINIA’S YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER?”

“Yes, she is. Of course, I prefer you not tell her. …Yet. Anyway… now you know everything. So, what will you do now?”

Nigel looked away with a thoughtful, serious look. “I think… it’s time I faced Dimentia. Her lies end now!”

“It won’t be easy. She already has great control over Jirachi, so it will be nearly impossible to prove the truth to him. And once she gets that last Star, she’ll be unstoppable.”

“Where is the last Star, anyway?”

“The last Star… Rachel wears around her neck.”

Nigel gasped. “The necklace!”

“Yes. But the necklace has a security. It shocks anyone who tries to take it. Dimentia can’t get it unless Rachel hands it to her. That’s why she tried to convince Rachel to decommission herself earlier. If I hadn’t sent you that fake message to come back to the base, she would’ve done so.”

“WHAT? Alright, that’s it! She needs to go down!”

“Before you go, I should give you this.” Darkrai pulled out a small, golden sword hilt and gave it to Nigel. “When the Star Spirits severed the Star Rod, the Galaxia Sword was shattered as well. Now it can only be brought back by a strong burst of positivity. When the time comes, you may need it.”

Nigel placed it in his pocket and nodded. “Thanks, Darkrai. And… I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“It’s all right. Now go.” With that, the bald Brit left back for his ship.

As they watched him leave, Mack turned to Darkrai and said, “Ah, don’t worry what all those universe people say, Boss! We still like you!” The other henchmen agreed.

“Yes… my loyal Nightmares. I know.”

 

**Well, there you go. I hoped that answered all your questions. Next time, we’ll head back to the base. But that’s not going to be so easy. Who can guess what Malladus’s last name is?**


	24. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel confronts Dimentia about what he learned from Darkrai.

**Welcome back, mates. Today, we’ll be heading to the Star Haven. But the road there won’t be easy. Why? Well, you’ll see.**

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Chapter 24: Confession

_**

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**Outside Nightmare Land’s atmosphere**

Numbuh 1 continued to fly back to the base, thinking aloud to himself. “If Dimentia’s control over Jirachi is as strong as Darkrai says, I’m going to need to come up with a plan. I just wonder if getting the last Star from Rachel is a good idea- AH!” he screamed when lasers hit him. (Play Star Wolf’s Theme from _Smash Bros. Brawl_!)

“So, the last Star is on Earth. The Tallest will love to hear that!”

“Wait… is that?” Nigel looked up to see, as suspected, the Star Wolf team headed his way. What really took him by surprise was the fact they were in newer and more menacing ships.

“Your journey ends here, Uno!” Wolf declared.

“Let’s see how you handle our new ships!” Leon followed.

“Too bad your friends aren’t here to see you fail.” Panther growled.

“We’ll make sure you NEVER get to Earth!” Jake hissed.

“We’ll just see about that, Star Wolf!” Nigel retorted.

 

_Boss fight: Star Wolf mk. II_

The four Star Wolf members shot past Nigel as fast as lightning, scratching his ship a little. They each did U-turns and came back towards him, shooting fast, deadly lasers. Nigel did numerous barrel rolls with his Arwing to avoid taking too much damage, but they were shooting impossibly fast. “Wow, you guys don’t give up!” Nigel said.

“What can we say? We’re bounty hunters. We’re desperate for cash.” Wolf remarked. “Now, are you going to run or fight?”

“Sounds good to me!” Nigel performed a somersault and got behind the Star Wolf members. The four flew off in different directions while Nigel chased after Wolf and shot at him.

“In your dreams!” Wolf shouted as he did a somersault himself and got behind Nigel. Nigel did more barrel rolls to avoid Wolf’s shots and made another somersault. But soon after, Rattlesnake Jake shot up to Nigel and wrapped around his Arwing. Nigel tried to shake away from Jake and his newer stronger armor, but failed.

“That’s it, Jake! Now crush him!” Wolf ordered.

“HA! You ain‘t so tough by yourself!” Jake hissed. “I almost expected a better challenge, but oh well. Once we’re through with you, we might pay a little visit to your precious Rachel! AH HA HA HA HA!”

“Not on our watch!” Jake looked up to see a large energy ball coming his way. The Light Sphere hit Jake’s armor, forcing him to release Uno, while also taking out some of Jake’s spikes.

Nigel gave a joyful expression when he saw his alien friends (and Dib) coming to his aid. “GUYS!”

“Oi mate! You didn’t think we’d miss the action, did you?” Marine exclaimed.

“I see you guys got new ships.” Dib noticed.

“Don’t worry! The six of us can take them!” Ava cheered.

“Hey! Six against four isn’t fair!” Leon exclaimed. “(Even though I only see five.)”

“Neither is four on one!” Nigel retorted.

“Big deal! Our Wolfen II’s are just as strong as the five of you!” Wolf said.

“Care to place a wager on that?” Ava asked.

“Galactic Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!” Nigel announced.

Rattlesnake Jake was chasing after Marine, while licking his lips with his serpent tongue. “C’mere, dinner!” he hissed. Meanwhile, Dib chased after him on his and shot charged energy balls at Jake’s armor, knocking some of it off. Rattlesnake Jake started firing missiles from his tail at Dib. “Give it up! You can’t win!”

Luvbi was chasing and shooting at Leon’s ship. “I’ll take of you.” Leon said as his ship turned invisible.

“Ay ay ay.” Luvbi shook her head. “Where hast thou-” Luvbi tried to finish, but was interrupted when Leon blasted her from behind.

“Here’s for what you did to my cousin, Francis!”

“I shalt do the same to thee.” Luvbi stated as she somersaulted behind Leon. As a result, she could now see where the lasers were coming from and proceeded to shoot the invisible craft.

“Gah! Annoying angel! I am the great Leo-”

“Oh, just shuteth thine trap!” With that, Luvbi boosted towards Leon’s ship as the tip of her ship stuck through the back of his. With both of his engines destroyed, Leon’s Wolfen began to smoke and spin.

“Not again! GAAAAH!” Leon exclaimed before he crashed on an asteroid.

“You can’t run from me, Ava. I’ve got a better ship.” Panther said as he chased Ava once again.

“Nice aircraft Panther, but you won’t be winning today!”

“Even if that were true, your friends have to find out your little secret eventually.”

Ava was shocked. “How-”

“She’s got nothing to hide!” Kweeb shot back.

Panther searched around, confused by these sudden attacks. “What? Who’s-”

Unknown to him, the tiny alien had landed on one of his wings and found a way inside the ship. Once in, he began to blast several wires.

_“Energy levels dropping.”_

“What! But how?” Panther exclaimed.

“I’ll tell you how!” Ava replied, getting behind him. “Just a little thing called tiny might!” Once Kweeb got back in his hovercraft and got off Panther’s Wolfen, Ava fired a missile and took him out.

“This can’t be! I’ve been foiled… by a… shrimp!” With that, he crashed on the same asteroid.

“What the heck?” Wolf said, seeing his defeated teammates.

“Where’s your plan now, Wolf?” Nigel asked wittingly.

“Don’t get uppity, you amateurs! You’ll never beat me and Jake!”

“Don’t be so sure, Wolf!” a girl’s voice declared.

They all looked around. “Who said that?” Nigel asked. They noticed a black ship with bat wings headed their way. In the cockpit, Nigel saw it was, “KATIE!”

“What? Another human?” Wolf asked.

“Far from it, Wolf! Now, try this!” Katie fired a needle missile at Wolf’s ship and took it out.

“No way! I don’t believe it!” He crashed.

“Just one more to go!” Nigel announced, looking over to Jake.

“I know what to do with him!” Katie said, flying to Jake. “Hey, Jake! You think you’re tough, huh?”

“Of course I am! I’m the biggest outlaw in Hell!”

“Then TRY THIS!” Katie pushed a button in her ship and projected a hologram of a giant, roaring eagle.

Jake looked at it with horror. “AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed as he flew off at high speed.

“And don’t come back!” Katie exclaimed.

“Wow, thanks a lot, Katie!” Nigel praised.

“No problem! But you owe me one!” With that, she flew back to Nightmare Land. (End song.)

“Well, that takes care of that.” Dib said. “What now?”

“I need to fly back to the Star Sanctuary. Darkrai said there’s someone under the fountain.”

“You mean you actually met the Nightmare King?” Ava asked.

“Yes, and let me tell you, he’s not as evil as Dimentia says. In fact, he’s not evil at all! Dimentia’s been lying to everyone. About the Nightmare King, about the disease, everything! All she cares about is immortality!”

“Pray, dost thou speakest the truth?” Luvbi asked.

“I do. Now, I want you guys to fly back to the base and see what she’s doing. I’m heading for the sanctuary.” They all flew off, leaving Star Wolf stranded.

“Well, here we are again.” Leon said.

“All because of Jake’s fear of birds.” Panther growled.

“At least we know where the Seventh Star is. Let’s call the Tallest and let them know. And get a ride back.” Wolf said.

“Why do I sense a massive battle coming on?” Panther wondered as Wolf called the Tallest.

**The _Massive_**

The Tallest were once again eating snacks and watching TV. _“We now return to Don Knots in ‘Too Many Ostriches.’”_

_“There’s too many ostriches! Why are there so many ostriches? The brochure said there’d only be a few ostriches. This is a terrible vacation!”_

Afterwards, Orbot and Cubot came in. “Sirs: we just got a report from Star Wolf.” Orbot said.

“They got beat, didn’t they?” Red guessed.

“Yeah, they got beat worse than a lady with bad luck, y’know?” Cubot replied.

“But the good news is they brought important information! It seems the final Star Piece is on Planet Earth!”

Red spit out some soda he was drinking. “EARTH? Are you serious?”

“If what Wolf says is true.”

“Hmmm. Come to think of it, that picture of Rachel did show her wearing a gold star necklace.”

“You think that might be the last Star?” Purple asked.

“Then we must go to get it before the GKND do!” Orbot suggested.

“Hold on there, Orbie.” Red replied. “From what I hear, the Earth KND is quite strong for their technology, and if the GKND assist them, they’ll be unstoppable.”

“So what’s da plan, huh?” Cubot asked.

Red thought for a minute and came up with the only solution he could: “Gather all troops. We’ll need a massive invasion force.”

**Star Haven**

After the unexpected battle with Star Wolf, Numbuh 1 had made it to the Star Sanctuary. He went inside to see the Stars still resting on their pedestals, but no Jirachi or Dimentia. No one was around, giving Numbuh 1 the perfect opportunity to sneak into the secret room below the fountain. But how?

He then noticed an odd stick lying on the staircase. Having a small idea, he picked the stick up, stuck into Jirachi’s pedestal, and tilted it. As if by luck, the fountain slid over and the secret room opened. “Well, that was convenient.” He said to himself as he slowly walked in.

Inside the dark room, he could hear the sounds of moaning, and gained a look of fright. He slowly took out his flashlight and, once he turned it on to see ahead, he gaped with shock. “Mom? Dad?”

His parents were hanging from their shackles, their clothes tattered. Monty Uno slowly awakened and looked to Nigel. “H-Hello… Son.”

“Dad… what happened? Who put you here?”

“It was Dimentia.” he said weakly. “She put us in here, so that we wouldn’t try to stop you from leaving.”

“I don’t understand. You were there to see me off. You wanted me to go.”

“We were never there to see you off. The morning you left with your friends to retrieve the Delightful Children’s cake… Chad and Maurice came to our home and recommissioned our memories, then told us that the GKND was coming to take you away. We were about to come and stop you, but Dimentia came and attacked us, then trapped us in here. She made clones of Agatha and I to come see you off and make you think we wanted you to leave. But in reality, we were trying to stop you.”

“But wouldn’t you want me to do this?”

“Listen, boy. You’re not really the first human to be invited to GKND. I was invited to join many years ago.”

“You… were?”

“Yes. It was some time after I defeated Grandfather. Dimentia came to me and told me I had been accepted to GKND. And I went. But ever since I left, I felt guilty about leaving all my friends behind. Especially your mother here. But I thought I could make up for it by saving the universe from this disease.”

“Wow, you and I really do have a lot in common. But I know the disease isn’t real and that Dimentia’s been lying to Jirachi for eternal youth.”

“Yes, but it’s more than that. Those prisoners you’ve seen in the prison hold? Those weren’t evil adults. They were parents that cared for their children greatly. Those parents loved their children, and the children loved them. So, when Dimentia kidnapped them, those children grew upset. She’s been making people throughout the universe upset for eons, and filling the Fountain of Dreams with darkness.”

“But why is she filling it with darkness?”

“When the fountain is filled with darkness, the Star Rod and Jirachi can be easily used for evil purposes. And Dimentia has one.”

“What is it?”

“She wants to use Jirachi… to awaken Zathura.”

“Her homeworld? The black hole?”

“It’s not just a black hole. It’s a creature that feeds off of planets and galaxies. It’s been locked away for generations. Dimentia wants to awaken and use Zathura… to destroy the universe.”

“WHAT?”

“And once it does so, Dimentia plans to use the Star Rod to make a new universe where only kids rule and no one ever grows up. It will truly be an adult-free utopia.”

“That’s… awful.”

“I did the same as you did. I collected six of the Seven Star Pieces. But that’s when I found out her true intentions. So, before she could begin looking for the seventh one, which Rachel now wears around her neck, I wished for Jirachi to scatter the Star Pieces again and that no one could wish them all back. He luckily granted my wish, but Dimentia would not take it lightly.”

“What did she do to you?”

“She…She sent me back to Earth and ordered my immediate decommissioning. Once I was decommissioned, Dimentia destroyed anything that had a trace of Numbuh Zero and erased anyone’s memories of my work. Then all everyone knew was plain old Monty Uno.”

“So, that’s why people argued whether you were real or not.”

“Yes. Thankfully, Dimentia wasn’t able to erase everyone’s memories. I just wish I told you about all this when you recommissioned me.”

“It’s all right, Dad. I know now. It’s time we taught her a lesson! Just let me break your-”

“NO! It’s too dangerous there for us adults. Especially with Dimentia’s control over Jirachi. And releasing us would just put you in more danger. Leave us here. We’ll get out eventually.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Just go on your own. We’ll be okay.”

Numbuh 1 was still unsure about this. But he did as his father said and ran off. Off to confront his leader.

**GKND H.Q.**

“Excellent!” Dimentia exclaimed, walking down the hall with her Magiblots. “Now that the machine is ready, all we have to do is get that last Star! Then we can finally awaken Zathura and-” Her sentence was cut short when Nigel approached her down the hall, glaring at her. “Oh, Number 1! Where’ve you been? I’ve been-”

“Cut the act, Dimentia, I know what you’re up to.”

Dimentia rose an eyebrow. “You do?”

“You don’t really care about the Kids Next Door at all. All you cared about was staying young! You went around and kidnapped several people from their planets and used the sadness from their loved ones to fill the Fountain of Dreams with darkness, all in your crazy scheme to awaken Zathura!”

After a moment of silence, Dimentia gave a big smile. “So, you spoke to my old friend, did you?” She closed her eyes and held her hands up a bit. “Okay, I admit it: I lied to Jirachi about the disease so I could use his powers to stay young forever and never have to grow up! As a bonus, I tricked him into thinking the Star Spirits didn’t care for him and had him take them out! Though I must say, you figured it all out a lot faster than Number Zero did!”

Nigel immediately ran over and punched her in the face, knocking her against the wall. Afterwards, he grabbed her by the shirt collar and held her against the wall. “I left all my friends and family behind just to help YOU stay young! You’re more selfish than Harvey!”

The Magiblots attempted to charge into him, but Dimentia waved a hand, signaling for them to stop. “Number 1:”

“ _Numbuh_ 1.”

“Let go of my shirt.” she said angrily. Still angry, Numbuh 1 released her. “Now listen, I may have lied about the disease for immortality, but one thing remains the truth: the Irken Empire is real, the war against adult tyranny is real, and only the Kids Next Door can stop them. Think about it, Number 1, if not for my lie, the Kids Next Door would have never existed and the adults would all be ruling over us. And if I’m as selfish as you claim, why would I let my other operatives drink from the fountain and have immortality, and not just myself? I may be a big liar, but I still want what’s best for the Kids Next Door. And awakening Zathura to destroy the adults of the universe will help us do that.”

“But you’ll be wiping out the children of this universe, too!”

“That’s the price, Nigel. We all have to make sacrifices in the war against adult tyranny. But it’ll all be worth it in the end, once we establish an adult-free universe!”

“Forget it! I’m not letting you destroy everything just to get what you want! I’m going to tell Jirachi, so he’ll never let you use his power again! Then I’m heading back to Earth, so I can spend the rest of my childhood with my friends!” Nigel began to march down the hall, past the Magiblots.

Dimentia thought for a minute and spoke, “What about the rest of the GKND?”

He stopped and turned around. “What do you mean?”

Dimentia smiled. “If Jirachi knows what’s happening, he won’t let anyone use his power! They’ll all age and become adults, including Ava, Luvbi, and Kweeb, and some of them will die! I don’t think you want something like that to happen to them.”

Nigel looked down in defeat, knowing Dimentia was right. If Jirachi knew what was happening, it may be bad for them as well. Dimentia smiled more, knowing she had him. But her smiling ended when she was hit in the back by some force. They all looked to see Marine holding up her glowing fist, with the others behind her. “Looks like we caught the liar red-handed!” she exclaimed.

“Guys!” Nigel shouted.

“Frankly, Dimentia, we don’t care if we can’t stay young forever.” Ava said. “We only want what’s best for the people we care about, including Nigel!”

“So, we art going to exposeth thine treachery if it kills us!” Luvbi vowed. Nigel smiled with gratitude.

Dimentia’s face furrowed as she turned back to Nigel. “You may have friends by your side, but I still have Jirachi! If any of you try anything, I’ll just convince Jirachi you’ve been brainwashed by the disease, and then I’ll send YOU back to Earth and erase any trace of your existence, so the good times you all had together will seem like they never happened!” At this, everyone held back. Dimentia calmed down a bit. “That’s more like it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need a drink. Ciao!” She and the Magiblots teleported.

“What are we going to do about this?” Ava asked.

Nigel looked down. “I don’t know.”

**The _Massive_**

The Tallest sat in their control room while Orbot and Cubot checked several controls. “Sirs, all weapons and Irken ships are ready to go. Now we’re just waiting for the other captains.” Orbot said.

“All units report!” Red ordered into the large computer screen.

_“This is Invader Tak! I’ve got the Dryans ready to ship off!”_

_“This is Star Wolf! We’ve picked up the ice troops from Planet Glacia and we’re ready to go!”_

_“Neeerrrr! This is Francis! I’ve got my Meowbots ready for battle! Schweeeet!”_

_“This is Ripto! My Rhynocs are ready to go whenever you’re ready! (Also, no one ask how I survived.)”_

_“YARR! This be Admiral Razorbeard! The warships are ready to ship off and swab the deck with those scallywags, arrr!”_

“Excellent!” Red exclaimed. “Everyone: prepare to make the jump for hyperspace! Destination: EARTH!”

All the ships vanished in a flash of light.

**Planet Earth**

Far outside Earth’s atmosphere, the alien armada got out of hyperspace, and a countless number of ships flew down to Earth and started wreaking havoc, adults and children screaming at the sight of it all.

On the Moonbase, Fanny noticed the fleet of ships come out from hyperspace and immediately called Rachel over. “SIR! Ya have to come see this!”

Rachel immediately ran over and gaped with horror as she recognized the flagship. “THAT’S THE _MASSIVE_!” Before Fanny could say anything back, the _Massive_ began firing missiles at the Moonbase, the operatives screaming, while on the _Massive_ , the Almighty Tallest laughed maniacally.

Zim, standing outside the control room, heard all this happening. “Come on, GIR. This is going to be a heavy duty fight.” The two ran off, not knowing how right Zim was. The greatest battle the Kids Next Door had ever seen was about to begin.

 

**AND DONE! Next time, we’ll head to the next world, which is, in fact, Planet Earth, and we’ll do my personal most favorite part in the story: THE INVASION! I hope you all like action, because the next few chapters has it all!**


	25. The Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Irkens begin their invasion of Earth.

**It’s finally time, everybody! The biggest action scene you’ll ever see: THE INVASION! Packed with several explosions, gunfire, comedic moments, deaths, and even some LOVE! Time to start my favorite world (which is the world we live in), Planet Earth! GO!**

****

**_

Chapter 25: The Invasion

_**

****

Numbuh 1 was sitting on the stairs in the main room with a solemn expression. The mariachi band was by his side. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, guys. I have no way to prove to Jirachi that Dimentia’s lying and if I go against her, she’ll erase everyone’s memories of me.”

“Well, you know what they say, amigo.” The band leader said. “You win some, you lose some. You lost some, Dimentia won some!”

“No, she won A LOT!” Nigel replied angrily.

“I’m sorry, amigo. But I guess Dimentia being a youth forever is just meant to be. Which reminds me: what do you want us to do with the video?”

Nigel looked up at him. “Video? What video?”

“Oh, uh, I forgot to mention, ever since you returned from Planet Glacia, the band and I planted a little mini camera in your clothes to record all your adventures, so we may relive these moments for future generations!” He reached behind Nigel’s vest and pulled out a camera, hidden behind. From that camera, he pulled a small chip.

At seeing this, Nigel raised a brow. “Does that have Dimentia’s confession on it?”

“Oh, yes! Everything up from Planet Kateenia to now!”

Nigel’s expression lit up brightly. “WE HAVE DIMENTIA’S CONFESSION ON TAPE! Oh, I love you guys so much!” He embraced the band leader in a hug.

“E-Easy, amigo! We have very weak backsides!”

Nigel let go. “Now I just gotta find a way to show this to Jirachi and Dimentia will be-”

“NIGEL!” Nigel looked to see Ava and the rest of his friends running in.

“Ava, I’ve got-”

“Not now, Nigel! There’s something on TV you need to see!” She pushed a remote and a large computer screen lowered itself from the ceiling, showing the Galaxia News team.

 _“Welcome back to Channel 5,000 News! Galaxia’s most-watched news program!”_ Linda said.

 _“Our top story today:”_ Morbo continued, _“the Irkens have taken an all-out offensive against the filthy human planet, known as Earth.”_

“WHAT?” exclaimed Nigel and Dib.

The screen showed their homeworld being blown up by Irkens and several other enemies they’ve encountered. _“That’s right. The Irkens and their allies are hard at work invading Earth, leaving no trace of anything unscathed. We now go live to Drunk Billy in the Channel 5,000 News ship.”_

The screen showed a spaceship spinning and flying uncontrollably and crashing into an unsuspecting house.

_“This just in: Drunk Billy died today. Here are some clips of Drunk Billy’s memorable moments.”_

The screen showed an image of Corneria and Drunk Billy flying through some unsuspecting skyscrapers. It then showed him crashing into a prison on some dinosaur planet and releasing a gang of two-legged dinosaurs. Afterwards, it showed a picture of some Kateenian children on a playground, and Drunk Billy crashing into and crushing them. Finally, it showed him flying into the Death Star and blowing it up.

_“Drunk Billy will be missed.”_

**Hangar**

Nigel and the gang were soon in their ships, preparing to take off. “Are you sure we should be doing this?” Ava asked.

“Of course we should! We have to save Earth, and especially Rachel! The Tallest are after the Star and Rachel’s the one wearing it! SO LET’S GO!” With that, the ships shot out of the hangar and made the jump to hyperspace. Dimentia looked out one of the windows with an angry expression.

“So, he’s flying back to save his home. No matter. But I can’t let him show that video to anyone. Just have to think of a way to-”

The Magiblots rushed in. “Dimentia! Someone took the Stars!” Blue shouted.

“WHAT?”

Dimentia and the Magiblots warped to the Star Sanctuary to find a knocked-out Jirachi and the Stars missing. Dimentia gave a look of horror. “Grrr! We’re going to Earth to get those Stars and GET THAT CHIP! If Jirachi sees what’s on it, I’m gonna be-!”

**KND Moonbase**

The operatives were struggling to fight the attacking aliens. “What are we going to do? We can’t hold them off forever!” Fanny shouted.

“Keep fighting!” Rachel ordered. “We can’t let them-” She was cut short when they were knocked back by the force of something crashing through the window. The Star Wolf team hopped out of their ships with weapons.

Wolf looked around, then noticed Rachel, wearing her necklace. “LOOK! There’s the Star!” Rachel looked at her necklace and grabbed onto it. “GET HER!” Rachel quickly ran from the pursuing bounty hunters, while several KND soldiers ran in to defend their leader, but Rattlesnake Jake quickly fired his machinegun. When he attempted to bite Numbuh 65.3, Rachel dashed up, pulled out her staff, jumped, and stuck the punching glove side in Jake’s mouth, blocking it.

While Jake was trying to shake the staff out of his mouth, Fanny ran up to Rachel and said, “Sir! Ya have to get out of here! They’re after you!”

“But what about-” Rachel was interrupted when Wolf ran up to try and grab her, but she quickly jumped and kicked him a distance.

“Don’t worry!” Fanny insisted. “We’ll be fine! Ya have to get out of here now!”

Rachel simply nodded and ran for the hangar. By this time, Jake shook the staff from his mouth and quickly slithered after Rachel. Before he could reach, Fanny quickly leaped onto him and held him back, allowing Rachel to escape.

“GAH!” Wolf shouted, shooting a few troops. “Leave them behind! Let’s get back to the ships!” The other members did as told and got back to the Wolfens, but not before Jake shook Fanny off and took a bite in her leg.

**Arctic Base**

Numbuh 60 and his operatives gang were in the same struggle against Chilfos and White Wolfos, with the Chilfos knocking ice pucks in their direction. “Get the cadets in the safety hold! We can’t let these ice monsters destroy the base!”

At that instant, one ice soldier took out a grenade and threw it to some soldiers backed up against the wall. They quickly ran out of the way, leaving the grenade to blow up the wall. From the other side, some rap music started playing as The Rhymer peeked his head out from his cell. “YEAH! Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ ’bout! C’mon, my henchmen, no time to pout! Let’s all blow this joint while they’re not lookin’ and then the KND’s treehouses they’ll be cookin’!” With that, The Rhymer and his henchmen escaped through all the fighting.

**Outside the atmosphere**

Nigel and his team made it out of hyperspace and were flying in to the planet. “Okay, everyone split up! We have to do all we can to take out these monsters!”

“I better go check to see if my sister’s okay!” Dib said. With that, they all flew in different directions.

Ripto and his Rhynocs were flying around in their little sheep saucers, causing destruction. “HA HA HA! That’s right! Destroy every last house! Leave nothing still standing!” Ripto then shot at a white house with a red roof, destroying the front part and exposing a fat Black man with a mustache taking a bath. The floor where his tub rested began to tilt.

“What the hell?!” Cleveland Brown exclaimed as his bathtub began to slide off. “No no no no NO NO!” But despite his cries, the tub slid off and shattered on the ground. “I knew I shouldn’t have taken a bath durin’ a alien invasion.”

Lizzie and Ace, who watched all this, exchanged glances and ran to different directions. Lizzie ran into the school, hopped in her locker, and got her L.O.C.K.A.H.-S.O.C.K.A.H.. The combat mech performed a mighty leap outside- “AAAAAHHH!” She crushed the legs of a boy with black hair and a black shirt.

“Oops.” Lizzie flushed. “Sorry.” Afterwards, she began running around and firing at any Rhynoc she could. At the same time, Ace was flying in his plane, shooting Rhynocs from the air.

“HEY, FLY BOY!” Ripto yelled at Ace. “Pick on your own soldiers!” He tried to shoot spells at Ace, but the boy did a somersault and got behind him.

“Pick on your own planet!” Ace fired a barrage of pool balls and shot Ripto’s craft down.

Ripto recovered and saw Lizzie heading his way. “Okay, short stuff!” she yelled. “It’s time to show you what happens when you mess with Earth!”

“Not on my watch! Get her, Gnasty Gnorc!” Gnasty Gnorc leaped up from behind and tried to strike Lizzie with his club. Lizzie quickly leapt back and blocked Gnasty Gnorc’s blows. She was eventually able to grab his club and beat him with it. She eventually knocked him out before throwing the club away. She then heard a scream and looked behind to see Ripto in the air and falling down to attack her. Lizzie used her mech’s arms and grabbed his horn. “Crud.”

“First rule of Earth, Bub: never mess with Lizzie Devine!” She threw Ripto into the air and punched him, making him fly a distance while he screamed.

**Doomsdale**

Tak was attacking Dib’s hometown of Doomsdale, with the help of the evil Dryans. “HA HA HA HA! Invader Tak is back in town! Face my Irken wrath!”

Some Skool children were backed up against a wall in fear by Dryans. At that instant, Dib flew down in his ship and dragged along the ground, running over the Dryans. He then hopped out and began fighting them off with his mech-arms.

The children looked over with surprised looks. “Is that… DIB?”

Dib looked over. “Get inside the Skool! I’ll hold them off!” The children merely shrugged and did as told.

“AAAAAH!” Dib heard a cry for help that sounded familiar. “GAZ!” He saw his younger sister in the clutches of some Dryans. He ran over to try to help, but was held back when Irken ships flew over and dropped several Megadoomers.

As he gained a look of worry, the Megadoomers were blown up by some other force. Dib gave a confused look, but then saw Zim holding a large gun. “ZIM!”

The alien drew out a machinegun and shot the Dryans holding Gaz. He turned to Dib and tossed him a Gatling gun. “You wanna waste time talking, or do you wanna save this planet?”

Dib, taking the hint and remembering Rachel’s story, smirked, and the two began working together and taking out all the soldiers they could.

“GAH!” Tak screamed. “I should have known Zim would do this! Come, FIR! Let’s get out of here!” With that, Tak hopped onto her robot, who activated her rockets and took off.

While GIR was merely eating waffles and ignoring the action, a Dryan came and cut through the waffle with its sword. GIR looked at it with a sad expression. “My…my waffles…” as tears dropped from his eyes, his eyes turned blood-red. “My…MY WAFFLES!!!!” The robot began shooting missiles at the Dryans and Megadoomers.

**Sector L**

“This is Numbuh 10 with breaking news!” Eva said, doing a news segment while her treehouse shook. “We are being invaded by aliens! According to Supreme Leader Numbuh 362, these are none other than the Irken Empire! All treehouses are required to raise their defenses and use all possible-” She was interrupted when something blasted through the wall behind her. She and Kade looked out to see an incoming fleet of cat ships.

In an instant, Francis and his Meowbots came breaking in. The Nerd King looked over and smiled greatly when he saw Eva. “Neeerrrr! If it isn’t my schweeeet Numbuh 10! GET HER!” The Meowbots began charging at the anchorwoman.

With a slight horrified look, Eva Roberts pulled out a S.C.A.M.P.P. and began shooting the Meowbots with the help of Numbuh 11.0. “There’s too many!” Eva exclaimed.

“Neeerrrr…huh?” Francis said confusedly as he looked outside to see Ava’s ship taking out his cat ships. Francis screamed when Ava crashed through the wall and hopped out of her ship, then began taking out Meowbots with her swords.

“Who are you?” Eva asked.

Ava turned to Eva and noticed she looked just like her. “Are you Numbuh 10?”

“Yeah… how do you-”

“I’m a friend of Nigel’s. He’s here helping us fight off the invasion.”

Eva’s expression lit up. “NIGEL’S HERE?”

“No, he’s in Virginia helping his friends.”

“Come on, Kade! Let’s go-” Eva was interrupted when Francis stuck his tongue out and pulled her in, tying her up.

“Neeerrrr! I’m going to-”

“Yeah, in your dreams!” Eva exclaimed as she kicked him in the crotch, forcing him to release. Afterwards, she began punching Francis in various places, making him groan in agony. Once she was done, she reached in and grabbed his tongue, spun him around, and finally threw him through the wall.

“NEEEERRRRRR!” Francis screamed as he fell from the humongous treehouse.

Kade merely stood and stared dreamily at her. “Man, isn’t she something?” he asked himself.

“She sure is!” Kade looked over to see Kweeb fly by him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some cats to fix!” He flew over to Ava’s aid.

Eva ran over to Kade and dragged him to the hangar. “Come on, Kade! We have to get to Virginia!”

“Okaaaay!” he moaned as he was being dragged.

**Sector W**

The Sector W team was fighting SIRbots in front of their treehouse. “There’s so many!” Sonya exclaimed.

“SEE? I told you I was attacked by an alien!” Harvey yelled.

“Well, we believe you now!” Paddy shouted.

“What are we going to do? This could be it!” Sonya said, struggling to stand her ground. Just then, they looked to see a white ship with angel wings.

“Doth not giveth up, yet!” Luvbi shouted as she shot at the SIRbots. She then flew and dragged her ship along the ground, running over more of the robots. She stopped in front of Sector W and turned to them. Harvey couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at her. “If thou art friends of Nigel, he is in yonder Virginia. Seest thee later.” With that, she flew off.

Sonya noticed Harvey was still staring in her direction. “Is something wrong, Harvey?”

“…What light through yonder ship breaks?” was all he could say.

**Sector V**

“Avast, maties! Waste the deck with these scallywags! Prepare to board!” commanded Admiral Razorbeard as pirates broke into the Sector V Treehouse.

“Keep holding them off!” ordered Numbuh 5.

“It’s not as easy as fighting Candy Pirates!” yelled Numbuh 2 as he shot at them.

“I hope my Rainbow Monkeys are okay!” Numbuh 3 shouted.

“Forget your cruddy Rainbow Dorkies! Who’s gonna help us?” Wally asked.

“HAR HAR HAR HAR!... Heh?” Razorbeard looked up and saw an incoming ship.

“’ave some o’ THIS, ya cruddy rust buckets!” Marine shouted as she crashed her ship through the treehouse and ran over a few pirates. Afterwards, she leaped out and began punching Light Spheres.

Numbuh 4, amazed by her powers, ran over and shouted, “WHOA! Where did you learn to do that?”

“Ah was born with these powers, Mate! Don’t know how, but they’re totally ripper!”

“They sure are ripper! Hey, do you watch wrestling?”

“All the time, Mate! It sure as heck is better to watch than cruddy Rainbow Dorkies!”

“I know, right?”

Kuki’s face was boiling in anger. _That raccoon’s stealing my man!_ she thought to herself.

“Hey, do you know Numbuh 1?” Wally asked.

“Sure Ah do, Mate! He’s somewhere ’ere in Virginia! Fightin’ off the Irkens an’ whatnot!”

“Numbuh 1’s here?” Abby exclaimed. “We have to go find him!”

“Ye won’t be getting away that easy!” exclaimed Razorbeard as he and several pirates blocked their path.

“Wanna put a wager on that, Mate?” Marine said as she did several charge punches at the pirates.

“Argh. Methinks it be time to retreat!” Razorbeard said as hopped into his small orange pod and took off.

“’EY! Wait for me!” Marine yelled as she got back in her ship and began chasing him.

“Come on! Let’s go find Numbuh 1!” Abby ordered, and with that, they left the treehouse.

**Somewhere else**

At the same time, Rachel was in Virginia fighting off some Irken soldiers with other KND troops, which was hard without her staff. “Man… I don’t think I can make it.”

“You aren’t giving up now, are you?” At hearing this voice, Rachel looked over to see none other than Nigel Uno standing by his Arwing.

“NIGEL!” she cried, smiling brightly, running over to hug him. “You came back!”

“We can catch up later, Rachel. We can’t let these guys get your necklace! It’s a Star Piece!”

“Don’t worry, Nigel! It’ll shock anyone who tries to take it from me!”

“Still, give it to me for safekeeping! They won’t come after you if you don’t have it!” Rachel nodded and handed him the necklace. “Now, let’s kick some alien butt!”

“Right on!” With that, the two continued to fight the Irken troops.

****

**_

Insert stage here? X( Sorry, people.

_**

Nigel looked up to see a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. with ‘KNN’ written on it. “EVA!”

Eva looked out the window and saw him. “NIGEL!”

“’Guess that’s my cue!” Kade said as he landed the ship. Eva immediately ran out and embraced her cousin in a hug.

“You’re finally back!”

Nigel smiled. “Good to see you, too, Eva.” He hugged her back. After a few seconds of hugging, an idea struck Nigel. “THAT’S IT!”

“What’s it, Nigel?”

“Eva, I need you to do something for me!”

“Sure, what is it?”

Nigel took out and handed her the chip with Dimentia’s confession. “I need you to fly back to Sector L and play what’s on this chip on the news!”

“Why? What’s on it?”

“My Supreme Leader’s confession is on this; I want you to play it on the news, so everyone can hear it!”

Eva gave a serious look and nodded. Afterwards, she hopped back into her C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. and ordered, “Let’s go, Kade!” Once they flew off, Nigel went back to helping Rachel.

Dimentia, who was standing in the center of it all, watched the ship leave and stared with anger. _“Time to teach Ms. Roberts a lesson.”_

**With Marine**

Marine the Raccoon continued to chase Razorbeard on her ship. “You’re goin’ down, Razorbum!” she yelled as she blasted him.

“Not on yer life, matey!” Razorbeard retorted as he dodged most of Marine’s laser strikes. Marine then opened her cockpit and began to charge her Light Sphere. Once she finished, she threw a large one at Razorbeard’s ship and successfully hit. The ship then spinned and crashed with an explosion.

“Well, that takes care o’ that, eh?” she said victoriously. Little did she know that Razorbeard hopped off his ship and onto Marine’s. He then jumped into her cockpit and began to attack her directly, while Marine fought back. With Marine trying to fight him off, the ship lost control, landed, and began dragging along some train tracks.

“Ye think ye can beat me?” Razorbeard shouted.

“Is _Sonic Lost World_ the worst _Sonic_ game ever?” she snapped back, continuing to beat at him, while the ship still dragged along the train tracks on a railroad trestle going over a river. As their squabble dragged on… the ship came to a stop.

The two looked confusedly. There was a slot that required 75¢. Marine fished around in her pocket, took out a quarter, and put it in. She took out another and put it in. She fished around for another… she had no more. “Do ya have any…?”

“Oh yeah, sure I do.” Razorbeard pulled his own quarter out of his pocket.

“Thanks!” Marine took it and put it in. The ship immediately began moving again as they kept fighting.

Marine then knocked Razorbeard into her cockpit upside-down and smirked. Her smirking ended when she heard a loud train whistle. She looked ahead and made a look of horror when she saw the train approaching.

Razorbeard climbed back out and grabbed Marine by the neck, attempting to choke her, not noticing the train. Marine was luckily able to shake him off, and once she did so, she hopped onto his face and hopped off onto one of the metal beams to the side.

Once Razorbeard recovered, he looked ahead with his eyes widened as he saw the incoming train. “FUUUUUUCCCCCKKK!” was the last thing he said before the ship rammed into the train and burst into flames.

Marine watched as the burning ship slid off the tracks into the river and exploded. “Good-bye, Star Marine, me old mate.” she said in sadness.

**KNN C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.**

Numbuhs 10 and 11.0 continued to fly back to Sector L on their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. “His Supreme Leader was Dimentia, right?” Eva recalled. “I don’t know what’s on this chip, but if Nigel wants us to play it, I guess we should.”

 _“Oh, come now. You don’t think it’ll be that easy, do you?”_ At that instant, Dimentia and her Magiblots appeared on the ship.

“D-Dimentia!” Kade stuttered.

“Aw, what’s wrong, Kade? Not happy to see me? You should’ve known revealing the GKND to Eva would have its consequences.”

“She deserved to know!”

“Whatever. I’m not really here to dispose of you, yet. Just hand me that chip and I’ll let you two go nice and easy.”

Eva looked at the chip in her hand and slid it in her shirt pocket. “You want it? Come get it!”

“Ugh. You news reporters are all the same. Magiblots: ATTACK!” The Magiblots charged and grabbed her, but Eva kicked Blue and Yellow, while she grabbed Red and used him to hit the other two before throwing him to Dimentia. Dimentia shoved him off and recovered, then started throwing energy blasts at Eva, but Eva, being the nimble anchorgirl she is, dodged every one. Afterwards, she drew out her S.C.A.M.P.P. and fired at Dimentia, but she took out her magic mirror and deflected every attack, with one of them being knocked into and destroying the S.C.A.M.P.P..

But Eva was not finished as she rolled forward, kicked the mirror out of Dimentia’s hands, grabbed it, and smashed it to the floor. “MY MIRROR! You broke my magic mirror!”

“Be thankful you don’t have to look at yourself anymore!” Eva retorted. She ran forward and threw several punches at Dimentia’s face, but the galactic leader swiftly avoided and pushed her back.

“Oh, come now! Do you really think a human like you can defeat a dimensional bender? Your sector doesn’t even get any missions!” Dimentia remarked as the Magiblots gathered by her side.

Eva then looked to her left to see an airplane coming their direction from the side. “I admit you are tough, Dimentia, so it would be a shame to see all your plans shatter to pieces!”

“What are you-” Dimentia said as Eva jumped, bounced off the wall, then off the ceiling as she got behind them to the back entrance. At that instant, Eva threw the backdoor open and held onto the handle as the wind forced her out. Dimentia immediately grabbed onto one of the seats and held onto her hat, while the Magiblots, in their lightweight bodies, were forced out by the wind.

The three Magiblots simply floated in midair, watching the ship go on without them. “HA! Did she actually think forcing us out the back would finish us?” exclaimed Blue.

Yellow then looked to their right and saw the incoming plane. “Uhhh, guys?”

“What?” The other Magiblots looked to the right to see the incoming plane, and they all screamed when they were met with the plane’s propellers.

Numbuh 10 climbed onto the roof of the ship and looked back to the plane to see a waterfall of black goo drop from the propellers, falling down to the earth. “Well, that takes care of those guys!”

“YOU!” Dimentia exclaimed, appearing before Numbuh 10 with an angry expression. “I have HAD IT up to HERE with you, Roberts! You’ve been an interference with my plans for FAR too long! You and your little boyfriend!”

“HEY! Kade is NOT my boyfriend! And we only just met you!”

“Even so, it’s time I got rid of you two once and for all! I’m going to-” Dimentia began as she threw another Starburst at Eva, but was stopped when the agile news anchor did a front flip into the air, got behind her, and dealt several rapid punches into Dimentia’s back, knocking her down. “Why you miserable-” she yelled as she got up and tried to throw more blasts from her hands, but all she could conjure were little electric sparks. “What? I can’t use my powers!”

“Good thing I took those chi-blocking lessons!” Eva smirked. “I wasn’t sure what an ‘element bender’ was, but I guess I know now.”

“Well, I don’t need powers to take you down, anyway!” Dimentia ran and tried to kick Eva, but she quickly jumped and hopped off her head. Eva then attempted an air kick, but Dimentia ducked and slide-kicked her, knocking Eva off her feet. While on the floor, Eva did her own slide-kick and knocked Dimentia down.

The two quickly jumped back up and began dealing a series of punches at each other. Dimentia grabbed Eva by the arms and threw her back close to the edge. She then ran up and kicked Eva off, but she quickly grabbed onto the edge with her hands. She then noticed the chip with Dimentia’s confession slipping out of her pocket, but she quickly grabbed it with her left hand before it could fall, with her right hand still gripping onto the edge.

Kade, who was still driving the ship, looked to the back window to see Eva dangling. “EVA!” He put the ship in autopilot, opened the window by his side, and began to climb to the top.

As she hung on, Eva looked to see Dimentia approaching her. “AH HA HA HA! Poor simple anchorwoman! Did you really think you stood a chance? You, with your pretty looks and your scrap technology, thought you could beat Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom?!”

Eva smirked at this. “Winkiebottom? Is that, like, your LAST name or something?”

“Oh, uh… Ah, forget it! It’s not like you’ll be able to tell anyone, anyway! Any last words, Ms. Roberts?”

Eva looked behind to see Kade climbing up. “Yeah: SUCKER PUNCH!” Kade ran up and pushed Dimentia off the edge. She quickly grabbed onto Eva’s leg and held on tight. “Lesson learned, Winkiebottom: never tango with Eva Roberts and Kade Jackson!” At the last word, she rose her foot and kicked Dimentia in the face, making her fall to the Earth and scream on the way down.

After she dropped, Kade grabbed Eva’s hand and helped her up. “Did I show the space-clown who’s boss, or didn’t I?”

“You sure did, Eva!”

“’Course, I never would’ve been able to do it without you.”

Kade blushed and chuckled nervously. “Well, what are friends for, right?”

She giggled. “Yeah. Now steer the ship, we’re about to hit a mountain.” Kade screamed and hurried back to the wheel.

 

**PHEW! That was rough! And there’s so much more left! This was only Part 1 of the invasion! Cleveland Brown is from _Family Guy_ , as is Drunk Billy.**  



	26. Kidnapping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Tallests have acquired the Seven Stars! It seems nothing can stop them now...

**Welcome back once again, mates! The invasion continues and we’re getting closer to the grand finale! Here we go!**

****

**_

Chapter 26: Kidnapping

_**

****

Dib and Zim were flying on their way to Virginia to meet up with the others, with Zim wearing his jetpack and Dib riding GIR, shooting any enemies they came by. Zim looked to see a group of kids being chased by a Megadoomer and took the time to shoot it in its left knee, causing it to collapse. It then sat back up, gripped its knee, and began moaning in pain.

 _“Ssss… OWW! Ssss… OWW! Ssss… OWW!”_ Zim flew by it again and blew it up completely.

Eventually, everyone (except for Eva and Kade, who were flying back to their treehouse, as well as Ava, Kweeb, and Marine) was all together and fighting the invaders on the streets of Gallagher. Hoagie and Ace were in airplanes, taking out enemies from the air, with the help of several KND troops on jetpacks.

The team seemed to be on a winning streak, but that streak ended when the Star Wolf team finally landed on Earth and began attacking the ground troops. “QUICK! Get that snake!” ordered one of the KND air troops. Jake heard this and started to fire missiles at the troops from his tail, taking them out.

“HA HA HA! You kids ain’t no birds!” Jake shouted. He then heard a scream from above and, before he knew it, Numbuh 363 had landed on his head and covered his eyes. After a while of shaking, the demon snake shook him off. “I’m about hungry for some beaver right now, but I guess a mutated beaver will have to do!” Jake exclaimed as he shot at Harvey, his mouth wide open, but was then held back when Lee threw his yo-yo and wrapped around the snake’s head.

“NOT COOL!” Lee exclaimed as he, Sonya, and Paddy tried to hold the large snake back. Jake then rapidly spun around and flung the children in Harvey’s direction.

“Stupid brats! EAT THIS!” Jake yelled as he fired his machine-tail-gun at the four.

“GET BEHIND ME!” Harvey ordered as he took off his helmet and used it as a shield against the gun, the bullets flying off in all other directions as a result, taking out other enemies. Harvey slowly lowered the shield after the bullets stopped firing. Jake realized was finally out of ammo. He then pointed the gun at himself to look inside, and before he knew it, a raccoon shot out of the gun and began scratching at his face. The Sector W team laughed for a few minutes before Jake finally shook it off of him.

“Grrr! I’m gonna send you snotty kids to the coldest, darkest part of the Underworld!”

This caught Sonya’s attention. “Darkest… part of the UNDERWORLD?!” Her demon self was coming on.

Jake backed up a bit. “H-Hey, wait a minute, I-” but he was silenced when Sonya leaped onto the snake’s face. Her team shielded their eyes when Sonya began her infliction of great pain upon the rattlesnake’s form. When the beatings had stopped, they opened their eyes to see Jake tied like a bow and Sonya standing on top in a victorious fashion.

“You know, sometimes I forget how scary she can be.” Paddy said.

“Well, at least it serves to our advantage.” Harvey replied. “Now, come on! We have to take these guys out!” They ran off to fight more aliens.

Rachel was trying to fight all the aliens without her staff, which was still up on Moonbase. Wolf looked over to her, then looked over to Jake tied up. “Leon, go help Jake. Panther and I will deal with Rachel!” Leon did as told and went to Jake’s aid, while Wolf and Panther ran over to fight Rachel.

Wolf tried to grab Rachel with both arms at once, but she ducked, grabbed them, and threw him a short distance. Panther tried to do the same, but Rachel ducked and slide-kicked him, grabbing his tail and spinning and throwing him afterwards.

Rachel panted. “Getting weak?”

“No, but you are!” Wolf replied as he recovered. Rachel turned to see Leon and the untied Jake coming her way. The rattlesnake gnashed his fangs at her, but she swiftly avoided.

“Not so tough without your staff!” Jake said.

“Who needs it?” she retorted. After a few more dodges, Wolf and Panther ran up and tackled her to the ground.

“Alright, now what did you do with the Star?” Wolf demanded.

“SHOVE IT UP YOUR NOSE!” she yelled.

Wolf growled. “Fine! Then you’re coming with us!” He and Panther hauled her and began to tie her up, afterwards duct-taping her mouth. “Come on! Let’s get to the Tallest!”

Harvey and his team were happily fighting off more aliens. “HA HA HA! You can’t beat me! I’m the future of KND!” he exclaimed. He then turned to see his sister tied up and being thrown into Wolf’s ship. Wolf hopped in after her as Harvey gasped. “SIS!” He ran over to try and help her as the ships lifted off the ground. He successfully leaped onto Wolf’s ship as they all took off.

“HARVEY!” Sonya shouted, watching him be carried off by the Wolfen.

Harvey was struggling to climb his way up the speeding ship, but was hanging on tight. Rachel glanced over with a shocked look to her little brother climbing up from the side. Harvey jumped on Wolf’s windshield and started banging the glass. “Let my sister go!” he demanded.

“Gah, stupid little kid! Get off my Wolfen!” Wolf began to do several barrel rolls, trying to shake Harvey off, but the Sector W leader held on tight, desperate to rescue his sister. “Man, you’re desperate, aren’t you? Fine! If I can’t shake you off, then outer space will!” The Wolfens began to exit Earth’s atmosphere. Harvey began to choke with no air, being so far above the Earth, and finally fell off the ship.

 _“HARVEY!”_ Rachel screamed through her tape.

Harvey screamed as he was falling fast down to Earth to his doom. His screaming soon stopped when he found himself caught inside Luvbi’s ship. “Pleasant thing to hath a guardian angel when thou needest her the most, is it not?” Luvbi said.

Harvey then recovered and stared at Luvbi in the eyes. “Uhhh… hey.”

Luvbi stared back. “…Hesu.”

“What?”

“Means ‘Hello.’”

“…I’m Harvey.”

“Luvbi ist my name.”

Back on the surface, Numbuh 1 continued to shoot off incoming Irkens, with the help of Dib, Zim, and GIR. “Score 5 more for Planet Earth!” Numbuh 1 exclaimed.

“NUMBUH 1!” Sonya shouted, running over to him with her friends. “Those guys kidnapped Numbuh 362!”

“WHAT?”

“They’re on their way to their flagship right now!”

Nigel, Dib, and Zim exchanged glances. “I think it’s time we end all this.” Nigel said.

“Yes… It’s time I settled my score with the Tallest.” Zim replied.

**The _Massive_**

The Tallest, along with many Irkens, gathered in the audience room, with the Tallest and their robots up on stage. “That’s right, children! Once it’s all done, the Kids Next Door will fall, and you’ll finally be able to bask in glorious adulthood!” Red exclaimed as the Irkens cheered.

“Now, we just have to wait for Star Wolf to get back with that Star!” Purple followed. As if on cue, the Star Wolf team came running in with Rachel wrapped up by Rattlesnake Jake. They made it up on stage as Jake held Rachel up to the Tallest.

“Well, well, well.” Red said. “If it isn’t Rachel T. McKenzie. Supreme Leader of all Earth KND. So nice to have you in our ship.”

“Like I had a choice!”

“Well, now that you’re here, we need to ask: what’s the ‘T’ stand for?” Purple asked.

“None of your business, now let me go!” she shot back, trying to shake away from Jake.

“Not so fast.” Red replied. “We want answers: where did you hide the Star?”

“Like I’ll ever tell you, Bug-eyes!”

Red looked angrily as Rattlesnake Jake flung her upside-down and got in her face. “Listen, you! You better tell us where that Star is or I’m gonna turn you into macaroni and McKenzie!”

“Go to Hell, Slitherface!”

“Where do ya think I ssspawned from?”

“Hold on, Jake.” Red said. “We don’t need to-”

Jake immediately shot in his face. “YOU DO YER THING AND I’LL DO MINE!” He then turned back to Rachel and began to squeeze her tight. “That’s right! Look at me! I want to sssee the life leave your eyesss!” Rachel’s face began to turn more blue.

“DROP HER, JAKE!” At this, everyone turned to see Nigel, Dib, Zim, and GIR standing in the doorway on the other side of the audience room.

Jake immediately loosened his grip on Rachel as Red spoke, “Well, look who finally decided to show up.”

“It’s _Number 1_.” Purple followed tauntingly.

“Right on schedule.”

“Ah, but who’s this?” Purple asked, looking at Zim. “Well, what do you know! Zim’s back!”

“Any reason why Tak said you were fighting off her soldiers?” Red asked.

“You lied to me!” Zim shot back.

“Look who’s finally catching on. Took you long enough!” Red retorted. “But what did you expect? You were a failure as an invader and always were! You should’ve expected all of us to mock you behind your back!”

“I may have been a lousy invader, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the screedily spooch to deal with you!”

“Same here!” Nigel replied as they all readied for battle.

“We’ll take you down easy!” Dib exclaimed.

“Oh, how brave of you all.” Red replied. “But are you really sure you want to be doing that? When we have THIS!” He gestured over to Jake, who was once again strangling Rachel.

“Rachel!” Nigel exclaimed.

“If you want her to live, then you’ll tell us where the Star is!”

Nigel hesitated, but slowly lowered his weapon. He reached into his pocket and held up the Star Necklace. Jake immediately shot up, grabbed it, and tossed it to Red. He then tossed Rachel over to Nigel.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Red said as he held the necklace in front of his face.

“Are you okay, Rachel?” Nigel asked.

“Yeah… I’m fine.” she answered, gasping for air. “But how could you just give them the necklace?”

“I had to save you somehow. And besides, the other Stars are still safe!”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Nigel.” They all turned to see Ava standing in the doorway.

“Ava? What are you-” Nigel said as Ava approached the stage.

She made it up to the Tallest and pulled out the other six Stars, which were shrunken to fit in her arms. “I brought the rest of the Stars just like you asked.”

“Excellent.” replied Red, taking them. “You’ve been a good spy, Ava!”

“Ava… you’ve been spying for the Tallest?” Nigel asked.

She sighed. “Yes, I have. Now they should be keeping their end of the deal. Release Planet Glomour from your rule, now!” she demanded.

“Ah, my dear. We’ll be happy to oblige.” replied Purple. “As soon as we use the Stars to turn all kids in the universe to adults! ARREST THEM!”

They were all ambushed and handcuffed by SIRbots. “Hey! You tricked me!” Ava yelled.

“Stupid kid! You really thought we would free your home planet?” Red said.

“Yeah, you got stabbed harder than…than…uh, I can’t think of anything.” Cubot said.

“Well, that’s ironic.” Orbot replied.

“Take them to the prison hold!” Purple ordered as the team was dragged off.

“So sorry this had to happen, Ava.” Panther said to her.

“Finally!” Red exclaimed. “Now that all the Stars are together, we can finally power our Age-Changing Cannon! Orbot and Cubot: put them in the machine!” The robots took the Stars and drifted off.

“Yeah, yeah, you finally got your Stars.” Wolf said. “Just give us our gold and we’ll be heading off.”

“Yeah… slight problem with that.” Red said as he pushed a button, making a giant magnet lower from the ceiling and pull in their weapons (as well as Rattlesnake Jake by his tail).

“Hey! What are you doing?” Wolf asked as he, Leon, and Panther were ambushed and handcuffed by SIRbots.

“Sorry, Wolf, but there are two things in this universe we adults can’t stand: snot-nosed brats and outlaws. And part of the perfect adult-filled world means no outlaws, either. Lock them up.” Red ordered.

“You’ll regret this!” Wolf exclaimed as he and the rest of his team were dragged off.

“Sticks and stones, Wolf. Sticks and stones.”

**Prison hold**

Nigel, Rachel, Zim, GIR, Ava, Dib, along with Star Wolf, had been locked in the _Massive_ ’s prison hold. The mariachi band was standing in one cell, playing sad prison music. “How did we end up in here. anyway?” the band leader asked.

Star Wolf was beating at the barriers keeping them in, trying to break through. “When I get out of here, those Tallest will regret the day they messed with Star Wolf!” Wolf vowed.

Meanwhile, Nigel and Rachel were sitting in their cell with their backs against the wall. “Rachel…”

“Yeah?”

“I…I’m sorry.”

“Nigel, it isn’t your fault we got captured.”

“No, not that. I’m sorry for leaving you behind. You and everyone else, you were my friends and you were all really important to me. But I chose the Kids Next Door over you. I know I cared about the Kids Next Door, but… I should’ve cared about you more. And the worst part is, I was never even helping the Kids Next Door!”

“Nigel, it’s okay. You were just doing what you thought was important. And besides, you’re here now! That’s all that matters.”

Nigel smiled. “Thanks. Still… if I could have one wish, it would be to set things right. …” He then looked over to Ava sitting in the corner, burying her face in her lap. “Ava, are you okay?” he asked, walking over.

She looked up. “I’m sorry I got us in this mess, Nigel. I never should’ve trusted the Tallest.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you were just trying to save your planet. You don’t have to be sad!”

“I…I guess. But I still do. My planet was already struggling before the Irkens showed up; now I might’ve put them in more danger.”

“We’re going to stop them, Ava! Count on it!”

“Awww. Isn’t that sweet?” GIR asked, watching them from the other cell.

“Quit wasting time, GIR! It’s only a matter of time before the Tallest fire that cannon!” Zim yelled.

“There has to be some way out of here!” Dib said.

“It’s times like this I wish I had a Wisp.” Nigel said. “Right now, just about any Wisp would do. Well, except for Hover.”

“But a Shrink Wisp would help, right?” a familiar voice asked. They crawled over to the cell’s barrier, seeing Kweeb smirking proudly. “Or something similar.”

“Kweeb!” Ava beamed.

One of Kweeb’s M.I.C.R.O.B.E.S. came over. He hopped on as the robot stretched taller and taller, allowing him to enter the terminal next to their cell. He climbed in, and after a few minutes shooting the wires, the barrier of their cell disabled. Nigel, Rachel, and Ava walked out.

Nigel drew out his blaster and began shooting the other terminals, releasing Dib, Zim, GIR, and Star Wolf.

“YEAH!” exclaimed Dib. “Let’s go kick some tall butt!”

“Some piece of cheese you have there.” Jake hissed as he slithered by them.

“I’m not on the menu!” Kweeb cowered.

“Don’t worry. I’m saving my appetite for the Tallest.”

“Hold on, guys. Just let me open these other cells.” Nigel said as he shot the terminals for the other cells. Inside were what looked like adult Irkens.

“The cell’s open! We’re saved!” exclaimed a male Irken.

“Quick! Let’s get out of here!” yelled a female.

“Who are you guys?” Nigel asked.

“We’re the adult Irkens. The good ones, anyway. The Tallest locked us in here for being too nice to our children.”

“We never liked the Tallest. They want our children to act like grown-ups and fight in wars, but we don’t think so. We just want them to act like children. We don’t want them to have to worry about adult things until they’re grown-up.”

“We just want them to be free.”

“Those guys need to be taught a lesson.” Nigel said, punching his palm.

“Right. Listen, you all find a way off this ship!” Rachel ordered. “We’ll help out your children!”

“But how?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I have a plan. Now go!” The adult Irkens left the room and ran down a hallway.

The others left the room as well and ran down the other hallway. They were ambushed by a swarm of SIRbots. “Ugh! If it’s not one thing, it’s another!” Nigel said.

“We’ll distract them! You guys go take out the Tallest!” Wolf ordered.

“I’ll see you later, Ava.” Panther said.

“Uhhh, okay, Panther. Thanks.” With that, the team continued running through the ship, while Star Wolf took care of the SIRbots.

“The audience room should be just up ahead!” Zim said. “If you’ve got a plan, Rachel, you better do it quick before they fire that Age-Changing Cannon!”

“Even if we don’t make it, we can just beat the Tallest and reverse the cannon’s effects, can’t we?” Nigel asked.

“It’s not that. After I let Rachel go, I sort of did something to their cannon’s core. It’s something that’ll stop the cannon, but it may result in this whole place blowing up!”

“If that’s the case, then we better stop them fast!” exclaimed Rachel.

**Audience room**

Orbot and Cubot rolled in through the side doors up on stage. At this point, Invader Tak and FIR were on stage with the Tallest as well. “Sirs: the Stars are in place. The cannon’s ready to fire.” Orbot reported.

“Excellent.” replied Red. “Now, let’s find a spot on Earth to test it. Computer: lock onto Virginia!”

 _“Understood. Locking cannon onto Virginia now.”_ The screen showed a picture of Earth and a cursor locking onto Virginia. A small pedestal with a red button on it then rose from the stage in front of the Tallest.

Red and Purple approached it. “WHO WANTS US TO PUSH THIS BUTTON?” Red shouted.

“WE DO!” the Irkens cheered.

“Okay!” replied Purple as he raised his finger over it. “Then let’s-”

“NO!” Everyone turned to the other side door to see Nigel and his team run up on stage. Rachel ran to the front and faced the audience. “Listen up, everybody! You have to stop listening to the Tallest! I mean, do you actually like doing what they make you do? Do you actually LIKE fighting in wars and getting yourselves killed all for the sake of making everyone a little more mature?”

This resulted in murmuring in the audience. The Tallest exchanged worried looks.

“That’s right!” Rachel continued. “Children your age deserve to be free! All this meaningless fighting and invading isn’t going to help anyone! It’s going to get yourselves killed and it’s going to destroy everyone else, and as a result, NO ONE will get to experience adulthood! The Tallest don’t care about YOU or ANYONE else, all they want is to rule the universe, even if they have to trick kids into doing it! Do you hear what I’m saying? The Kids Next Door aren’t your enemies! THEY ARE!” she pointed at the Tallest. “So, rise up and fight, Irken children! RISE UP AND FIGHT!”

The Irken children bore hesitant expressions. The Almighty Tallest burst into laughter at Rachel’s failed attempt. “Ah, you stupid little girl!” Purple said.

“Did you really think you could change the children?” Red asked. “THEY know their place! THEY know that all children are incompetent and only adults know what’s best! Face it, girl! You may have power over your brats, but not ours. IRKENS: ATTACK THEM!”

The Irkens exchanged very thoughtful, contemplative glances. They aimed their weapons at the Tallest.

“H-Hey! What are you-?” Red said as all the guns were pointed at them. They looked to the side to see Tak was aiming at them as well.

“Looks like your reign is over.” Zim smirked.

“HOORAY FOR US!” GIR exclaimed.

“Nice going, Rachel!” Nigel congratulated.

Red growled in anger. “Think you’re all clever, eh? Well, TRY THIS!” He slammed his hand on the red button.

“NO!” the team screamed.

Outside, the front part of the _Massive_ opened, revealing the Agifyer Cannon. As the cannon aimed down at Earth and prepared to fire, it began to crackle, spark, and blow up.

Inside, everyone could feel the whole place shake. “WHAT? What’s happening?” Red cried.

 _“Warning! Warning! Cannon malfunction! Massive self-destruct imminent! Evacuate all personnel!”_ At this, the Irken children began to scream and run out of the room.

“Come on! Let’s go!” Red exclaimed as he and Purple grabbed their robots and flew out of the room.

“HEY!” shouted Zim as he tried to run after them, but was held back by Nigel.

“Forget about them! We have to get back to the hangar!”

“I know a shortcut!” Tak said. “Follow me!” She hopped onto FIR and flew off. Zim then activated his jetpack, grabbed Dib, who grabbed Ava, and flew after, while Nigel got on GIR, grabbed Rachel, and flew afterwards.

**With the Tallest**

The Tallest and their robots had made it to another room of the _Massive_. “How can this happen?” Red exclaimed. “Nigel Uno’s ruined everything!”

“Why are you surprised?” Cubot asked. “He’s been foiling yo’ plans ever since he got here! I can’t remember a plan he didn’t stop!”

“What are you talking about? He hasn’t stopped all of them!” Purple replied.

“Oh, yeah? Name one!”

“Uhhh…” They both looked mindlessly.

“Wow! Way to pay attention there!” Orbot said, whacking Cubot in the back. At the whack, Cubot spun his head and made a beeping sound.

“HEY! MY VOICE IS BACK! THANKS, BUDDY!” Cubot exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

“Hmm. So, that’s why we changed his chip.” Purple figured.

“Forget about that! It’s time to finish Nigel Uno AND Zim once and for all! Wait until they get a load of THIS baby!” Both Tallest laughed as they turned to a giant SIRbot.

 

**Next time, we will finally face the Tallest! See ya later!**


	27. Dethrone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dictators are dethroned. And not just the two...

**Guess what, everybody? It’s finally time for the showdown with the Tallest! The fate of Earth depends on the outcome of this battle! (Well, not exactly, since the Irkens already hate the Tallest now, anyway. ‘Course, you never know, they might come back.) Alright, let’s DO THIS!**

****

**_

Chapter 27: Dethrone

_**

After following Tak through the _Massive_ , the team had finally made it back to the hangar, where they met up with Star Wolf. “I see you finally made it.” Wolf said as they approached. “So, where’s the Tallest?”

“The Tallest got away, but the soldiers and the adults should’ve escaped by now.” Nigel responded.

“Yeah, we saw a lot of ships take off. They must be gone by now. Let’s get out of here before we’re toast.” With that, Star Wolf, Ava, Dib, and Tak and FIR hopped into their ships and took off to Earth, with Nigel, Rachel, Zim, and GIR watching them.

“‘Guess we should be heading back down, too.” Rachel said to Nigel.

“And this time, I’m staying!” Nigel decided.

 _“Leaving so soon? But the party’s not over yet!”_ They all looked around (except GIR) to see where the voice came from. The room began to shake. In that instant, the ceiling exploded and the Almighty Tallest came flying down in their giant SIRbot.

Nigel instantly recognized it. “HEY! That’s the same robot you had back on Flora!”

“That’s right!” Red replied. “I don’t believe our robot was properly introduced. Nigel Uno: MEET DESTIR (Destructive Empowering SIRbot Terrorizes Impudent Rats)! The most powerful SIRbot in the Irken military!”

“This baby will use the power of the Wisps against you!” Purple followed.

“Watch and learn!” Red continued as the robot’s eyes turned cyan-colored.

“LASER!” the Tallest shouted, and with that, DESTIR fired two lasers from its eyes, which made a circle on the floor around the heroes. The circle collapsed, causing the team to fall downwards. (Play Egg Dragoon’s Theme from _Sonic Unleashed_!)

Nigel, Rachel, Zim, and GIR were then falling down an incredibly long hole, past a bunch of collapsing debris from the exploding _Massive_. Nigel grabbed onto Rachel, then grabbed GIR, who used his rockets, while Zim used his jetpacks. The four of them landed on a large circular platform and stood on it as they fell further.

During their fall, they could hear music playing, and looked up to see the mariachi band on a smaller platform of their own. “LOOK OUT BELOW!” the band leader shouted as they fell past the heroes into the pit, while still playing their music.

“ROCKET!”

“SPEED!”

They looked up to see the Tallest coming their way, their robot’s eyes orange and light-blue from using the Wisps’ powers. The Tallest were then flying next to the platform as Nigel asked, “Uhhh, quick question: if we’re already falling to our doom, why follow us?”

“Just because you’re falling doesn’t mean you won’t survive somehow.” Red answered.

“So, we’re going to make sure you don’t survive!” Purple followed.

“Get ready, kids! If the burning atmosphere doesn’t get you, then DESTIR will!” Red continued.

“Not before you fall first!” Zim retorted.

“Sounds like a challenge!” replied Red. “Alright, kiddies! Let’s brawl!”

“Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!” Nigel and Rachel shouted in unison.

 

_Boss fight: DESTIR_

“Say your prayers, kiddies!” Red exclaimed as the robot’s eyes turned red. “FLAME!” The robot shot fire blasts at the gang, but they easily avoided.

“That glowing part on its chest looks strange! Try aiming for that!” Zim suggested, noticing the green spot on its chest.

“Sounds reasonable to me!” Nigel said as he shot his blaster at the green spot, which seemed to damage it a bit.

“GAH!” exclaimed Red. “Try some of this! CUBE!”

“FLAME!”

The robot’s eyes turned dark-blue and red as it shot a red cube in the center of the platform, which exploded and knocked the heroes off. Zim and GIR activated their rockets and got back on, while Nigel held onto the edge with Rachel holding onto him, and climbed back up.

“GIR! Fire at the green spot!” Zim ordered.

“YES SIR!” GIR fired his missiles at the weak spot, which damaged the robot some more.

“Stupid robot! We’re gonna need back up!” Red said.

“SIRBOTS!” Purple shouted. A group of four SIRbots shot up from below and landed on the platform.

“It’s always something, isn’t it?” Nigel asked rhetorically. The four of them fought and took out the SIRbots with no problem. Rachel picked up the last one and threw it at DESTIR’s weak spot.

“Grrr!” Red growled. “ORBOT! CUBOT!” The Tallest opened their cockpit and tossed their robots down on the platform.

“CLOAK!” the Tallest shouted as DESTIR turned invisible.

“YAY! WE GET TO BE IN THE FIGHT!” Cubot shouted as he and his companion pulled out laser guns. “HERE WE GO!” He and Orbot began firing at the heroes. Zim and Rachel quickly dodged and rolled up to the robots, then knocked the guns out of their hands, with the guns falling off the platform afterwards.

“Hmm, not bad.” Orbot said. “But we’re so much more than that.” With that, Orbot retracted into a ball and began flying fast through the air, rapidly bouncing off Rachel whenever he could. Cubot, on the other hand, was a cube and was trying to get above and smash Zim. Nigel then ran to Rachel’s aid and grabbed Orbot, who was immediately trying to shake out of his hands. Just before Cubot could attempt to smash Zim again, the Irken shot the robot with his goo gun, causing him to stick to the ground. Nigel then banged Orbot against the foothold, making him dizzy.

He then placed Orbot on the foothold as Rachel walked back a few feet. “And Rachel’s going for the goal!” she exclaimed as she charged to the robot. “SHE SHOOTS!” And with that, Rachel kicked Orbot, sending him flying. Orbot conveniently hit the invisible DESTIR’s weak spot, making it show itself. Orbot fell into the pit afterwards.

“UGH! Stupid kids! You won’t feel so big after this!” Red said as the robot’s eyes turned cyan and bright pink. “LASER!”

“SHRINK!” With that, DESTIR fired a bright pink laser at Rachel.

“Rachel, look out!” Nigel he ran and pushed her out of the way, taking the hit himself. When it cleared, Nigel looked to see he was once again tiny.

“Nigel!” Rachel exclaimed, immediately running over to pick up her shrunken friend.

“HA! That got ya!” Red exclaimed. “Now, how ‘bout some o’ this!”

“Not on my watch!” Zim shouted as he dashed toward the robot and hopped onto its chest.

“Oh yeah? ROCKET!”

“DRILL!” The robot fired its left drill hand, which came back toward Zim. Zim immediately leaped off, tricking the drill into digging into the chest.

“AHH! NOO!” The Tallest screamed as their robot took serious damage.

“Rachel, you think you can toss me onto the robot’s arm?” asked the still-shrunken Nigel on Rachel’s shoulder. Rachel nodded, picked him up, and tossed him onto DESTIR’s shoulder. He then creeped into a small crack on the robot’s arm and started to blast a few of the wires. He quickly hopped back onto the platform and returned to normal size as the arm exploded, releasing a few snacks from the arm.

“NOOO! OUR SNAAAACKS!” the Tallest cried.

“Nice going, Soldier!” Rachel praised.

“That’s it! TAKE THIS! ROCKET!”

“DRILL!” The drill fired again and shot into the center of the platform, destroying it. DESTIR then shot downward ahead of them and broke through the bottom of the long hole. The next thing they knew, the heroes were outside in space, falling fast down to Earth, choking from lack of oxygen.

GIR thought fast (for once) and pulled out three helmets from his head. Zim, Nigel, and Rachel quickly put them on, so they could breathe. “WHEW! That was close!” exclaimed Nigel.

“Don’t think you’re safe, yet!” said Red from below them. “FLAME!” DESTIR shot more fire blasts at them as they fell, but they were able to barely dodge. They breathed a sigh of relief when they landed on another platform. DESTIR was then preparing another attack. “LASER!”

“DRILL!” The drill became electrified as DESTIR swung it at the heroes, but they quickly ducked. They ducked once more as the robot made another swing. Nigel and Zim took the time to shoot the robot in its weak spot. “That thing has to be getting weak now!” Nigel figured.

“Don’t think so, yet! CUBE!”

“SPIKE!” At their command, DESTIR fired two rows of spiked cubes, trapping the team in-between. The robot fired giant spikeballs at them, but they were able to jump and avoid. “No good. Let’s try this! LASER!” Red shouted as the dark-pink eye became cyan-colored. DESTIR shot a laser on the side of one of the end cubes, making it bounce off down the rest of the rows. The team squeezed in the gaps of the lasers and kept their positions until the laser and the cubes were gone.

Before they knew it, the green light on the robot’s chest went out and it was beginning to malfunction. “WHAT? The energy levels are dropping!” exclaimed Purple.

“Don’t go down on us now!” demanded Red.

“Now’s our chance! GO, ZIM!” Nigel exclaimed. Zim once again ran up and got onto the robot’s chest.

“Grrr! DRILL!” DESTIR once again fired its drill, which missed Zim and dug into the robot’s chest. “NO! NOT AGAIN!”

Nigel, Rachel, and Zim exchanged glances and jumped onto the robot, making their way up to the head. “H-HEY! STAY BACK!” Purple cried. Once they were up on its shoulders, Numbuh 1 charged his blaster and shot at the cockpit. He then threw Rachel upwards, and the Tallest looked in horror as the blonde leader came and smashed through the protective glass with great force.

She then knocked the Tallest out of the way and started beating away at their controls. “NO! OUR ROBOT!” Red cried. Rachel hopped off afterwards.

“Here! Let me dry your tears!” The Tallest then noticed Zim standing on the side.

“No! NO!” Red exclaimed as Zim launched two mechanical tentacles from his PAK and wrapped around the Tallest. Zim then swung them around in the air, and the Tallest screamed as they were sent flying. He then pressed the self-destruct command on DESTIR, and Zim hopped off as the robot activated its rockets and shot upwards. Once he was at a high distance, the robot exploded into red and purple fireworks, which formed the word “Earth!”.

“Hooray for Earth!” GIR exclaimed.

“Yes!” Zim agreed. “Hooray for Earth!”

“ALRIGHT! We did it!” exclaimed Nigel as he and Rachel hugged. The two hugged for several seconds until Zim interrupted.

“When you two lovers are done, we have to get off this thing before we reach the atmosphere!” The two immediately stopped hugging and saw that they were closer to Earth.

“Zim: activate your jetpacks!”

“Can’t! It’s out of fuel! GIR?”

“Sorry. Had to make room for the muffin!” GIR replied as he pulled out another muffin and ate it.

“How does that stuff fit in him, anyway?” Nigel asked rhetorically. The four screamed as they were about to fall into the atmosphere, but they silenced when they were stopped by an unknown force. Before their very eyes, Jirachi appeared before them. (End song.)

“Jirachi!” Nigel exclaimed.

“Looks like I made it just in time!” he cheered. They all looked to see the _Massive_ falling right past them, catching fire as it passed through the atmosphere.

“Aren’t you worried where it might crash?” Rachel asked Nigel.

“Don’t worry! Just before we left, I was able to set a certain location of where to crash. I get the feeling a certain someone won’t be too happy!”

**Father’s Mansion**

Back down on Earth, Father was walking out of his mansion in a rather joyful mood. “Man, what great day it is today!” he said to himself. “You know, I may have been upset when my annoying nephew mysteriously vanished with my pipe, but ever since he left, I’ve been feeling REALLY good! I don’t think ANYTHING can ruin my mood! Not even…” He looked up in the sky with a speechless expression. “A giant, flaming spaceship?” And with that, the _Massive_ crashed into his mansion, resulting in a MASSIVE explosion.

After the fighting was over, Jirachi teleported the gang down to a street on Gallagher, where they were met up with all their screaming and cheering friends. Due to the _Massive_ ’s explosion, hundreds of Wisps were freed and began flying in the skies of Earth, and thousands of snacks rained down, making children all around the area eager to go and grab the most they can.

“YEAH! NUMBUH 1 DID IT!” cheered Numbuh 2.

“Good on ya, Mate!” Wally exclaimed.

“AYE! What he said!” Marine agreed.

“UNO!” Nigel looked to see Harvey running toward him. The Sector W leader embraced Nigel in a hug with tears in his eyes. “UNO! YOU’RE BACK! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME AGAIN! PLEASE!” He then opened his eyes to see everyone was smirking at him. He immediately let go of Uno. “Uh, I mean… Oh, great! Why’d you have to come back, Loser? We were all better off without you!”

“Yeah… sure you were.” Nigel replied, not believing him at all.

“YOOOUUU!” They all looked behind them to see an enraged Father. “FIRST, you you break into my mansion, STEAL my pipe, SEND MY DELIGHTFUL CHILDREN TO THE DEPTHS, you disappear MYSTERIOUSLY for three months, AND NOW, YOU COME BACK WITH A GIANT SPACESHIP THAT DESTROYS MY MANSION!” He stomped closer. “WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, BOY? I AM GOING TO-” He stopped when he heard screaming in the air. He looked up to see the screaming Tallest falling to him. “AAAAAHHHHHHH!” And with that, he was crushed by the weight of the Tallest.

Soon, the smoke from the impact cleared, and the Tallest and Father were standing there, looking dizzy. Father then collapsed and, after a few seconds, the Tallests’ armor cracked and shattered, revealing their spineless, wimpy bodies. Just as the Tallests’ dizziness was about to wear off, Orbot and Cubot fell from the sky and onto their heads, knocking them out.

Afterwards, the Seven Stars lowered their selves from the sky and circled Jirachi. The Stars came together, making a strong burst of light. When the light cleared, everyone stared agape at the sight of the legendary Star Rod. The Star Rod slowly lowered itself to Nigel and Rachel. Nigel then nodded to Rachel, gesturing for her to take it. She held the Star Rod in her hands and stared at its mysterious glow.

After a few minutes, the Tallest awakened to see everyone staring at them angrily. “N-Now now, kids. I’m sure we can talk this out!” Red stuttered.

Nigel looked behind them and replied, “You may have to talk to them!” The Tallest looked behind and backed up in fear to see an angry Star Wolf glaring at them, namely Rattlesnake Jake. As they slowly approached the Tallest, they heard a mysterious giggle.

_“Now now. No need to get so violent. At least… not yet.”_

“That voice…” Nigel stated. As he suspected, the person who appeared before everyone’s eyes was none other than, _“Dimentia.”_

“And so I arrive for my eager audience, waiting for the show to begin!” exclaimed Dimentia. “(And I have GOT to stop talking like my brother.)” Due to her last fight with Eva, her clothes were ripped and tattered.

“Wait a minute: THAT’S Dimentia?” Wally asked.

“Ah was caught off guard, too, Mate.” Marine replied.

“UGH! You could really use some make-up or something!” Kuki shouted.

“What are you doing here, Dimentia?” Nigel asked, snidely.

“Yeah, what are you doing here?” Purple repeated.

At this, Dimentia looked to the Tallest, their robots, and the unconscious Father, and simply said, “You know what, these guys have no more significance to the plot, so I’m just gonna toss them aside.” She threw a Starburst and knocked them a few feet away. “Anyway, I’m here because THIS is our crowning moment! Isn’t it, Jirachi?”

The Star God in question looked confused. “Uh… it is?”

“Well, of course it is! The Star Rod is finally back together! Now we can finally be rid of this disease! Now, Rachel…” She turned to Rachel, still holding the Star Rod, “just hand me that little Star Rod you have there and I’ll be on my way.”

“No, don’t!” Nigel stopped. He then turned to Jirachi. “Listen, Jirachi. Dimentia’s been lying to you! There isn’t any disease! Dimentia just made all that up, so that you can keep her young!”

“Yeah!” Ava followed. “And she’s even been turning all your Wisp friends into monsters!”

At this, Gabe and Jeremy, who had just arrived, gasped. Jirachi seemed even more confused. “…Huh?”

“That’s just crazy!” Dimentia replied. “Why would I do anything like that? I told Jirachi and all my fellow operatives nothing but the truth! The only liars here are you! It seems you’ve been on this planet a little too long, and now you’re being brainwashed by the adult mind!”

“Where does she come up with this junk, anyway?” Lizzie shouted. “Heck, she might’ve suggested I was an alien!”

“We are not the liars!” Nigel argued. “YOU ARE! You have to stop listening to her, Jirachi!”

Jirachi grabbed his now aching head. “I…I DON’T KNOW!”

“We feel your pain too, Jirachi.” replied Jeremy.

“If you don’t believe us, why don’t you watch Nightly News?” Rachel suggested.

“There aren’t even any TVs out here!” Dimentia shot back.

“THEN I WISH THERE WAS!”

“NO!”

At Rachel’s wish, the Star Rod began to glow, and, before everyone’s eyes, a large TV appeared in the air by the side of them. The TV landed on the ground, coincidentally crushing Father and the Tallest. The TV showed an image of Numbuhs 10 and 11.0 on the KNN.

 _“Welcome back to KNN!”_ Numbuh 10 spoke. _“Today’s top story: GKND Leader Numbuh 256 is NOT the leader you thought she was. This footage, given to us by four owls with instruments, explains why.”_ With that, the screen showed the very conversation Dimentia and Nigel had.

_“I lied to Jirachi about the disease just so I could use his powers to stay young forever and never have to grow up! As a bonus, I tricked him into thinking the Star Spirits didn’t care for him and had him take them out!”_

“NO!” Dimentia exclaimed as the clip played a few more times.

 _“Ooooo, not really the leader I’d ask for.”_ Numbuh 10 said. _“You, Kade?”_

 _“Nope. If I were Dimentia, I’d use Jirachi to get rid of my ugly face!”_ With that, Numbuh 11.0 laughed at his own joke.

“Sssounds like the space-clown was lyin’ after all!” Jake hissed.

“You… lied to me?” Jirachi asked, his eyes furrowing.

Dimentia then realized a swarm of Wisps were surrounding her, looking angry. The operatives (plus others) were looking pretty mad, too. “Fine! I admit it! I have been using you for eternal youth! Wouldn’t anyone else here do the same? Wouldn’t anyone else here want to have eternal youth?”

“Not if it means we have to hurt others!” Rachel argued.

“You tricked me into betraying the Star Spirits! And after all they’ve done for me.” Jirachi said, sadly. “Well, forget it! I’m not letting you use me, anymore!”

“Yeah! You tell her, man!” Numbuh 2 cheered.

“You here that, Dimentia?” Nigel began. “Your reign is officially over!”

“Yeah, so get your ugly, two-faced self off our planet!” Harvey demanded.

“YEAH!” everyone else cheered.

“No.” At this, everyone turned to see Mr. and Mrs. Uno on the side. “Dimentia will take the Star Rod and she will use it for whatever reasons she desires.” spoke Monty.

“Mr. and Mrs. Uno, how can you say that?” Rachel asked.

“Those aren’t my parents!” Nigel yelled. “Those are just some clones Dimentia created to fool everyone!” Everyone gasped. “Dimentia has my real parents trapped below the fountain!”

“Oh, that’s preposterous!” Monty replied. “Have you any proof?”

 _“Here’s your proof right here!”_ said a voice from above. They all looked up to see a spaceship (similar to the one that took Nigel) coming in for a landing. Once it did so, the ship opened, and Maurice, Chad, and Nigel’s REAL parents stepped out.

“MAURICE!” Abby exclaimed.

“MOM! DAD! You’re okay!” Nigel shouted.

“That’s right, old boy! In the flesh! Not like those pathetic excuses for copies!” Monty remarked.

“Now, I say, old chap.” replied the Monty clone. “How do we know YOU aren’t-” His sentence was cut short when Rattlesnake Jake shot up from behind and stuck his head through his chest, black goo spilling all over as the clone passed out.

“Ain’t no humans. Ain’t nothin’ but phonies!” Just as the Agatha clone was about to escape, Jake dug into her head and killed her as well.

“What ya gonna do now, Freakshow?” Wolf asked.

Dimentia once again looked to see everyone staring angrily at her. “FINE! I’m leaving! But know this: this isn’t the last you’ll hear of Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom!” With that, she made a box-shaped barrier appear around her. She snapped her fingers and, in an instant, the box made a big explosion. Once the smoke cleared, they all looked to see Dimentia was gone.

“Did she just… kill herself?” Harvey asked.

“Nay. Yon Dimentia is not one to giveth up so easily.” Luvbi replied.

“No arguing with that.” Kweeb replied.

“Mom, Dad.” Nigel began, coming over to his parents. “How did you escape?”

“We have no idea, Dear.” his mom answered. “We were just trapped in that dungeon when, suddenly, the entrance opened mysteriously and our shackles were cut loose.”

“Regardless, after we escaped, we got back to the base and freed Chad, Maurice, and every other prisoner. We dropped them all off on their home planets just before we came here.” Monty followed.

“Well, I guess that’s the end of Whatsherface.” Wolf figured. He then turned to the Tallest. “Now, where were we?” They approached the Tallest slowly, making them back up in fear. “We got a little motto, bug heads: those who don’t pay will be PREY!” At that instant, Jake wrapped himself around them. The Tallest screamed as Jake dragged them through a large smoke cloud from one of the destroyed houses to their doom.

Once they were out of sight, Harvey turned to Luvbi. “So, uh… Luvbi. Now that the invasion’s over… you wanna maybe go on a date or something?”

Luvbi smiled. “That wouldst be most pleasant.”

“I still can’t believe Dimentia was able to trick us for so long.” Gabe said.

“I feel so bad.” Jirachi stated sadly.

“Oh, don’t worry, Jirachi.” Infinity replied, putting a hand, er, tentacle on his shoulder. “At least we figured her out before anything bad could happen. Still, putting the Star Rod back in the fountain where she could easily reach it might put us in more danger. We’ll have to keep it in a secret location until we’re able to catch her. Care to help us, Numbuh 1?”

Nigel looked to see everyone staring at him, awaiting an answer. “No thanks. My place is with my friends. After all, someone has to help fix all the damage the Tallest did.”

“YAAAAY!” Everyone gave happy cheers.

Once the cheering stopped, Dib walked over to Zim. “Hey, Zim…”

“Human?”

Dib was silent for a moment and held out his hand. “You’re all right.” Zim smiled and shook it.

Rachel then looked to see all the destruction the Irkens have caused. “So… should we get started cleaning this up?”

“Ah, we’ll take care of that later.” Nigel simply stated. “How about we all go to Lime Rickey’s to celebrate?”

“Oh! We’re coming too!” Orbot replied, finally waking up along with Cubot. Everyone else agreed too and walked off, leaving no one but the still unconscious Father and the mariachi band, playing music.

“And so, Dimentia’s cover was exposed and the young bald hero was reunited with his friends. But Dimentia will not face defeat so easily, and our heroes have yet to face their final challenge.”

“You know, they could actually wish for everything to be fixed.”

“…Yeah, they could, couldn’t they? Oh well, let’s go to Lime Rickey’s!”

**GKND H.Q.**

Dimentia warped to the secret, dark chamber. “Those fools think they’ve got me beat, but I won’t admit defeat! I already have enough negative energy for my machine! All I need to do now is get back my Star Rod, then Zathura will finally be reborn! Then all those fools will pay…”

**Fulbright Household**

It was nighttime in Virginia. In the Fulbright Household, Mr. Boss was sleeping cozily in his bed. He was then awakened by the sound of a doorbell and got up grumpily, stomping down to the front door. He finally answered it to see Consuela standing at the door, covered in soot since she never escaped the _Massive_ before it exploded, but was somehow able to survive.

“I need more lemon pledge.”

Mr. Boss simply sighed. “Okay.” With that, Consuela entered the house as Mr. Boss got in his car and drove to the store.


	28. Zathura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dimentia has taken the Star Rod. The destruction of the universe begins...

**It’s finally time, people. Time for the final stretch of this little game, er, story. I try my best to make it good, so let’s hope it is. Alright, here we go.**

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Chapter 28: Zathura

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**KND Arctic Base**

It was a quiet day at KND Arctic Base. The 44 Twins were standing guard at the sooper secret safety vault. “I’m bored.” said Pete.

“Me too.” replied Peter.

“Man, how long do we have to guard this thing?”

“According to Numbuh Infinity, until they catch that circus freak. Still, it would be nice to have a little break once in a while.”

_“Bored, are we? Well, then I’ll relieve you of your duties.”_

They searched around to see where the voice had come from. “Who’s…”

Dimentia appeared before their very eyes, wrinkles on her skin and her clothes still beaten. “Hey! You’re the circus freak!”

“Shoot her, Bro!” The 44 Twins fired at Dimentia. After a few seconds, a puff of smoke was created. When the smoke cleared, they looked to see Dimentia was gone.

“YEAH! Who’s laughing now?” exclaimed one of the twins, his brother cheering as well. Their cheering stopped when they heard a giggle, and looked to see Dimentia reappearing in that spot.

“Why, I believe it’s me!” she smiled. The 44 Twins gulped as Dimentia waved her hands, and the spot they were standing exploded, blowing them away a few feet and knocking them out. “Well, that takes care of that nuisance! Now, to claim my prize!” With that, she shot pink lightning at the vault and slowly made a circle around it (similar to what Father did). When she was finished, the vault broke open, revealing none other than the sparkling Star Rod.

“At last…” Dimentia said as she reached for the wand. “It’s mine…” and she finally grabbed it. The moment she touched it, any wrinkles or scratches on her being vanished. “Now, Star Rod: grant me that which I desire! Rid me of this accursed aging! Keep me 10 forever! And give me the power of stars!” The Star Rod engulfed Dimentia in a blast of light.

**KND Moonbase**

Rachel was once again filling out paperwork. She looked to see Fanny and Patton coming into her office. “Hey, Fanny! Is your leg okay?” she asked her friend. Fanny had to rest in the hospital for a few days after being bitten by Jake.

“Ya, Ah’m fine.” she replied. “That snake sure knows how to bite. And Patton didn’t leave me for a second.”

“Aw, how sweet of you Patton!”

Patton blushed. “H-Hey! It’s not what you think! I was-” He was cut short when the three of them were trapped inside a box-shaped barrier. “Hey! What’s-” Before he could finish, they were teleported.

At their treehouse, the Sector W team was playing videogames, with Sonya just watching. Their playtime was interrupted when they were teleported.

Lizzie was doing extra credit work after school. But she was interrupted when, like all the others, she was teleported.

**Grass field**

Soon, everyone reappeared in the middle of a grassy field, where they met up with others, like Sector V, Eva and Kade, as well as Herbie. “Hey, what happened?” Nigel asked.

“I think we’ve all been teleported.” Patton answered.

“No kidding.” Fanny rolled her eyes.

“By what?” Rachel replied.

“LOOK!” Sonya shouted, pointing up at the sky. They all looked up to see a bunch of storm clouds gather and circle around a tiny dot high in the sky.

Nigel got a closer look. “Wait… that’s…” When he squinted harder, he saw that the dot was none other than, “DIMENTIA!”

The clouds were circling fast around Dimentia. She held up the Star Rod, allowing lightning to strike at it. Her body began to glow brightly, like a star. When the brightness cleared, her purple and yellow-striped clothes were gone. She now wore black and white-striped clothes, and a long black cape. Her hat was also gone, letting her black and white hair flow smoothly.

Once she was finished, Dimentia flew down to them. “Ladies and gentlemen! Behold the new and improved Dimentia!” Everyone gasped. “You didn’t really think your pitiful vault would hold me back, did you? Now the Star Rod is mine at last. And it’s time I showed each and every one of you my true power!”

“Not before you taste our power first, Freakshow!” Rachel exclaimed. “GET HER!” With that, all the operatives drew out weapons and fired at Dimentia. When the smoke from all their fire cleared, Dimentia was shown to be protected by a barrier.

“You’ll have to do better than that!”

Lee threw his yo-yo and successfully tied her up. “HA HA!” he laughed. Dimentia merely smirked and warped away, making the yo-yo drop. “Huh?”

“Have some of this!” Dimentia exclaimed, appearing right behind him and shooting a blast of magic. Lee screamed as the Star Rod shocked him, and after a few seconds, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

“LEE!” Sonya exclaimed. When the smoke cleared, they all looked to see a hole in the ground. Sonya slowly walked over to it: inside was a little frog wearing Lee’s hat.

“Not cool. RIBBIT!” the frog croaked in Lee’s voice.

“Lee?” Sonya questioned, picking the frog up. Dimentia merely laughed.

“Ah, the old turning-someone-into-a-frog trick. A true classic to witch-doctors and magicians everywhere!” In an instant, Dimentia was tackled by Paddy and Harvey.

“That’s it! Nobody hurts my friends, Circus Freak!” Harvey yelled as he and Paddy were holding her down. “Now you’re gonna get it!”

“Oh, I beg to differ!” Dimentia replied as she warped again. She appeared right above and fired her Star Rod at them, turning Paddy into a hamster and Harvey into a beaver.

“Oh, how original.” Harvey remarked.

“Anyone else?” Dimentia asked. She was then attacked by Fanny.

“No one hurts my brother except me!” she shouted.

“Well, this is a tad ironic.” Dimentia replied, dodging Fanny’s punches. “No matter. How ’bout THIS?” She fired a magic blast at Fanny.

“NO!” Patton screamed, running over and pushing her out of the way. As a result, he took the hit himself and turned into a tiny mouse.

“I expected as much! So, I got this!” With that, Dimentia spawned a black cat, which hissed at Patton. Patton squeaked as he quickly scampered over to Fanny and hid behind her boot in fear.

“Ugh.” Fanny sighed, smacking her face in disbelief.

“Stoopid boy!” Dimentia exclaimed. “Thought you could beat me, huh?”

“Maybe he can’t, but I sure can!” Eva exclaimed, throwing a kick at her face. “Ready for Round 2, Freakazoid?”

“More than you know!” Dimentia replied, attempting to whack Eva with her Star Rod, but the nimble news anchor dodged every swing. Afterwards, Eva leaped behind and threw more rapid punches at her back.

“Try fighting us with your chi blocked!”

“You forget that my Star Rod holds the chi now!” Dimentia leapt away a few feet and shot a magic blast at Eva.

“EVA!” Kade yelled, running up and taking the hit himself, which then turned him into a little, brown bird.

“Kade!”

“He should’ve seen that coming! No one betrays Dimentia!” Said girl then heard a scream behind her and looked back to see Lizzie charging at her. “Oh, please.” Dimentia said, shooting at Lizzie and turning her into a pig.

“LIZZIE!” Herbie shouted.

“Can’t say I’m surprised at that.” Rachel noted.

“Foolish humans. It’s impossible to win- AH!” Dimentia screamed as lasers shot at her from above. She looked up to see Nigel’s alien friends (plus Dib) coming down in their ships.

“If humans can’t beat you, then maybe WE can!” Zim exclaimed.

“Thou shalt NOT turn mine possible prince into a beaver without consequence!” Luvbi shouted.

“You think you all can stop me?” Dimentia asked rhetorically as she fired magic blasts at them, but they swiftly avoided.

“’ave some o’ THIS, Freakface!” Marine shouted as she rammed Dimentia and dragged her ship along the ground, eventually running her over. “Now, THAT’S how it’s done, eh?”

“WOOHOO! GO MARINE!” Wally shouted.

“Hmph!” pouted a jealous Kuki. They heard another giggle and looked to see Dimentia reappear in midair.

“Poor simple fools! Don’t you understand? I control space, bend time, twist reality! Like this!” With that, Dimentia snapped her fingers and, before their eyes, an army of Magiblots spawned out of nowhere. “Eva and Jake may have taken out the first five, but I have plenty more! And with the power of the Star Rod, my dimensional bending can increase eleventy-billion fold! Now, it’s time I put it to the test. The Magiblots will keep you busy. Pretty soon, no one will remember you ever existed! Now… ATTACK!”

Dimentia vanished and the Magiblot army charged to attack. The GKND (plus Dib) hopped out of their ships and began to fight back, with the help of Sector V, while everyone else had to protect their now-animal friends. Wally and Marine were working together to fight Magiblots.

“You’re pretty good for a girl!” Wally complimented.

“Not all girls are Rainbow Monkey lovers, Mate!” she replied.

This distracted Kuki from her fighting, making her growl in anger. _“Stupid raccoon.”_ she said through gritted teeth.

“LOOK OUT!” Ava shouted, rescuing her from some incoming Magiblots. “You need to pay more attention!”

Kuki gave a nervous chuckle. “Sorry.”

“I take it she has a secret crush on him?” Kweeb asked Hoagie.

“Yeah, but it’s not really that big a secret. Heck, you should see how many stories they have about them on FanFiction.”

A few minutes have gone by and they continued to fight. “Man… how many are there?” Nigel asked, panting.

_“Don’t start sounding like a quitter, yet.”_

“Huh?” At this, Nigel looked up to see the Star Wolf team coming down in their ships. As they got closer, they fired at the remaining Magiblots, nearly hitting the heroes. “Hey, watch where you’re firing!”

“We are!” Wolf shot back. Once they were done with the Magiblots, they landed their ships and disembarked.

“What do you guys want? To eat our now-animal friends?” Rachel asked.

“Not a bad idea.” Jake hissed, scaring the animals.

“Eat later, Jake. We got bigger problems.” Wolf said.

“What?” Nigel asked.

“Well…”

**A few hours ago…**

“NO! I won’t let you do this!” Jirachi shouted, struggling to get away from Dimentia in her throne room, but was held back by the force from the Star Rod.

“You wanna know why the Star Spirits kept you in that rock? It WAS to keep you safe! Keep you safe from people who want to abuse your powers! Like me!”

“What did you do with the Star Spirits?” Jirachi demanded.

“That’s not important! Pretty soon, it won’t matter, once I’m through with everyone!”

“Dimentia! STOP!” The Supreme Leader looked to see Gabe and Jeremy flying in through the doorway.

“I have had just about enough of you two!” With that, Dimentia fired a magic blast at the Wisps, turning them back into their human forms. “I always liked you better that way, anyway. Now, BEGONE!” With that, she warped them away.

“GABE! JEREMY!” Jirachi cried.

“Forget those fools! Now, let’s get down to business!” She waved the Star Rod and, in an instant, the throne slid out of the way and an enormous machine, with containers of Nega Wisps attaching to an empty central area, rose from the ground. “Get in!” Dimentia ordered, trying to force Jirachi into the central area.

“NO!” He struggled.

“The holder of the lamp controls the genie, Jirachi. In this case, YOU are the genie and the Star Rod is the lamp! Now, GET IN!” Against his will, Jirachi was forced into the central area. The Nega Wisp containers began to glow and transmitted their energy over to Jirachi. A ball of darkness engulfed the young Star God, making him scream in pain. “Now… open your true eye!”

Despite Jirachi’s attempts to break free, he did as Dimentia told against his will. His eyes glowed with darkness as his true eye opened. Dimentia threw a massive blast of magic, blowing the ceiling off, exposing the room to outer space. Jirachi was then forced to face upward into the starry sky and release a dark laser into the distance. Dimentia rose into the air to get a better look. The direction where Jirachi had fired began to turn into darkness. Slowly, a black hole emitted and started to grow.

“Finally… after so many eons, I can awaken you…” Dimentia said as the black hole grew more massive. _“ZATHURA!”_

 _“ROOOOOAAAAARRR!”_ The gargantuan black hole made a great roar.

“Now, Zathura! Do what you were born to do! Feast on this grand buffet known as the universe! Let us build a whole new world where adults are inexistent and only kids rule! Let aging be a thing of the past!” Zathura roared once again.

Star Wolf, who was driving by the base at the time, watched all this occur. “Hrrrgh. This ain’t good.” Leon said.

“Come on! Let’s go!” Wolf ordered, and with that, they flew off.

**Current time**

“Afterwards, we made the jump to hyperspace and got back here.” Wolf finished.

“So, Zathura’s been awakened…” Nigel said grimly.

“What do we do now?” Rachel asked downtrodden. Everyone held their heads down in doubt.

Nigel put on a serious expression. “We fight! It’s time we bring Dimentia down once and for all! Her thousands of years of spreading negativity to the universe are over!”

“Yeah! I’m with you!” Ava cheered.

“Me too!” Dib exclaimed.

“Forget not me!” replied Luvbi.

“I’m with you, too!” said Kweeb.

“Can’t say Ah disagree with that, Mate!” Marine grinned.

“I’m going, too.” followed Zim. “After all, it’s the least I could do.”

“If saving the universe is the least you could do, then what’s the most?” Dib asked.

“I dunno.” Zim shrugged.

“You kids sure are the real deal.” Wolf replied. “Then count us in, too!”

“Don’t worry, Ava. I’ll protect you along the way.” Panther said smoothly.

“Panther…”

“Just how the heck do ya plan to stand up to her, ya stoopid boy?” Fanny asked. “We couldn’t beat her!”

“That never stopped ME before.” Nigel said.

“Well, I’m coming with you!” Rachel stated.

“No. I may be reckless, but I don’t want to risk you getting hurt.”

“But Nigel-”

“Don’t worry, Rachel. I’ll be fine. You and the others just stay here and… wish me luck.”

Rachel was unsure, but decided to go with it. “Okay.”

“Just one problem:” Wolf said. “Didn’t your Arwing go down with the Massive?”

“Don’t worry about that, mate! Ah’m one step ahead!” With that, Marine pushed a remote, and the Arwing came down from the sky and landed perfectly (running Dib over on the way down). “Ah had thing rebuilt just for the occasion!”

“Wow! Great job, Marine!”

“Aw, she’ll be apples, eh?”

“Then I guess we’re all set to go. So, let’s go.” Wolf said as he, Star Wolf, and everyone else boarded their ships.

“Be careful, Cous.” Eva said.

“I will, Eva.” With that, they all watched as the ships took off for the sky. “Next stop: Zathura!” They went to hyperspace.

The mariachi band was left on Earth, playing their music. “And so, our heroes head off to face their final challenge. Their final battle on Zathura. The fate of the universe now rests on them.”

“Is he going to die there?”

“Oh, yes. Most definitely.”

**Approaching Zathura**

Nigel, his friends, plus Star Wolf made it out of hyperspace. The GKND operatives were quite surprised to see the black hole up close. “So, THAT’S Zathura?” Dib said.

“It sure does look menacing. Be careful, everyone.” Nigel cautioned.

“Keep your advice to yourself and your eyes front, Baldy!” Wolf shot back. “We got company!” As Wolf said, a fleet of black ships, similar to Magiblots, came out from the GKND H.Q., which so happened to be in the very center. The ships began to fire energy blasts at the team, similar to the blasts that regular Magiblots fire.

Ava chased after and shot some ships, while she was being chased herself. Luckily, Panther was following behind, protecting her. “I hope to see you again once this is all done.” he said.

“If we lose here, you’ll never get the chance.” she replied.

“I hope you never get the chance, anyway!” yelled a jealous Kweeb.

“Oi, these guys sure are persistent, eh?” Marine said, struggling slightly to take out some Magiblots.

“They’re no flying sheep, that’s for sure.” Wolf replied.

“We canst taketh them! After all, they art merely bubbles of goo!” Luvbi said as she shot past and sliced a few ships.

“Well, aren’t you the brave little angel now?” Leon remarked.

“Always hath, always wilt.”

Meanwhile, Dib was being attacked by a group of Magiblots, but was rescued by Zim, who was riding on GIR, firing his missile launcher. “Good to finally have you on our side!” Dib shouted.

“Feels good to. And weird. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, how’s your sister?”

“What? You mean Gaz?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s fine, I guess. Why?”

“Oh, no reason.”

“Stop talking and start shooting!” Jake hissed, flying by them.

“He’s right, team! We have to get into that base! So, let’s go!” Nigel declared. After taking out a few more Magiblots, they were finally on their way to the darkened GKND H.Q.. Once they landed in the hangar, they went into the main room, where several operatives were fighting against more Magiblots.

“Looks like they’re against Dimentia, too.” Zim figured.

“Well, you know what to do. Everyone, split up! We have to take out every Magiblot and get every operative and Wisp out of this base!” Nigel ordered as he headed up the stairs. “I have one small trip to make of my own.”

With that, everyone ran down separate halls, while Marine decided to hang around and help the operatives in the main room, by punching the Magiblots with her Light Fist, making them explode into goo. “’ow ya like them apples, eh?”

“Thanks, BA-GAWK!” said the chicken operative. “These guys are BA-BA-GAWK crazy!”

“No worries, Mate! Now, get outta here! We’ll deal with Dimentia!” The chicken, along with other operatives, headed out the hangar. Marine then saw some Magiblots and chased them down a hall. “’EY! COME BACK HERE!”

Zim, Dib, and GIR were fighting Magiblots down another hall, which happened to be where the prison hold was. “GIR! Smash the door down!” Zim ordered.

“Yes, Master!” GIR saluted as he fired missiles at the prison hold entrance and destroyed it. They ran in and saw several Wisps, as well as Gabe and Jeremy in their human forms, trapped in the cells.

“Dib! Zim!” Infinity shouted.

“GIR!” GIR shouted.

“Don’t worry! We’ll help-” Dib began.

“LOOK OUT!” At Infinity’s cue, a group of Magiblots came out and attacked, but Zim and Dib were able to fight back. Once finished, Zim shot missiles at the cells, releasing Gabe, Jeremy, and the Wisps.

“We have to help Jirachi!” Infinity said, running out of the room with Gabe.

“No, you need to get out of here! We’ll save him!” Dib vowed. Gabe and Jeremy exchanged glances and nodded.

Nigel was running down another hall, fighting more Magiblots, with the help of Ava and Star Wolf. “Nice swordplay, Ava.” Panther complimented.

“Thanks.”

“Why are we down here, anyway?” Jake asked Nigel.

“I just need to get something from my room.” Nigel replied as he ran down to his room, but was ambushed by more Magiblots. Thankfully, he was protected by Wolf and Jake, who shot at them. Some Magiblots even attempted to flee, but Jake either shot them or ate their heads off.

Nigel was finally able to get into his room, where he looked around. “Ah, there it is!” he said as he picked up the bag of weapons, which Numbuh 2 gave him before he left the first time. Coincidentally, the alarm clock decided to go off.

_HAANH! HAANH! HAANH!_

Nigel decided to take the time and shoot it once and for all. “What’s in that bag?” Ava asked him as he walked out.

“Oh, it’s nothing. You guys head back down that way. I’ll be heading up to Dimentia.” With that, they went off in different directions.

Luvbi was in another hall, fighting Magiblots and assisting the blue blob operative. “Thou art safe. Now, retreat!” At Luvbi’s command, the blob ran off. “Ay, this be tiresome. I hopeth Nigel hast a plan…”

Meanwhile, Kweeb was flying through the huge halls in his hover car, shooting more Magiblots. “Man, don’t these guys ever quit?” he panted. He then turned another corner, where he was ambushed by three more Magiblots. “I know one thing: I DON’T!” With that, a laser turret lowered from below his craft, charged up, and fired a huge laser, burning off their heads. “YEAH! THAT’S how it’s done!”

After fighting an army of Magiblots, Nigel had finally made it to the top of the base, where Dimentia’s throne rested. He slowly approached and stared at the door to her chamber. He stopped a few feet away and took a deep breath. “I’m ready to face you.” With that, he went in.


	29. Galaxia’s Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nigel faces Dimentia for the final time.

**Welcome back, everyone! It’s time to confront Dimentia!**

****

**_

Chapter 29: Galaxia’s Light

_**

Nigel stepped into the throne room, wherein stood the Nega Machine with Jirachi in the core, Nega Wisp containers connecting to it, and the Supreme Leader herself sitting in her throne, sipping a glass of Dream Water. Despite the fact the roof was blown off the place, the air seemed rather fresh. “So… you’ve finally come. I knew you would.” Dimentia said.

Nigel stepped a little closer and held up his S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. “Well, you did choose me for a reason.”

“Mmm, yes. I did, didn’t I? Looks like I made the right choice, yet again.” She took another sip of the water. “So, what now? Here to overthrow me? Bring me in for decommissioning? Use my own invention for creating misery against me?”

Nigel was silent for a moment and held his gun down. “No. Not yet. First, I need to ask you something. Why are you doing this? I thought the purpose of the GKND was to save the universe from evil.”

“I AM saving the universe from evil!”

“You’re destroying it!”

“Let’s face it, Number 1. We’re all destined to grow up eventually. Everything’s destined to become dust. It’s like you said: you’re only a kid once. But it doesn’t have to be like that. There doesn’t have to be any more misery. Not anymore. Once Zathura swallows this universe, I can make a whole new one where no one nor nothing has to grow up and get old! We never have to worry about adults or anything that can make us miserable! Especially not love.”

“But what will this accomplish? Everything has to get old eventually. Even if you do stay a kid forever, you’re going to grow up. All you’re doing is killing kajillions of people for selfish and stupid reasons! It won’t change a thing!”

“I’ve been a kid for more than a million years, and I still act like one! I’m willing to take my chances. Perhaps THIS will change your mind!” Dimentia stood from her throne and fired a blast of magic at Nigel. When he opened his eyes, he saw the area was changing to a beautiful forest where the ocean was in sight, with kids running around and sliding down slides (similar to Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E.).

“Pretty sweet, isn’t it?” Nigel looked over to see Dimentia floating in a nearby river, surrounded by kids. “Now, doesn’t this look MUCH better than living with boring adults adults?” she asked as she walked up to him.

“…No. This isn’t real!”

“No, it’s not. But it could be. It could be all ours.”

“…But-”

“Think about it, Nigel! A world with NO adults! A world where all kids are free to be kids! Free to eat candy and ice cream, play videogames, watch TV, and play on playgrounds whenever we want, and not have to worry about going to bed, or eating our vegetables, or doing chores, or going to school! Nothing but pure, unparalleled freedom! And when Zathura destroys the old universe and lets this all be so, we’ll be the center of it all!” She went up to him and held her hand out. “Just take my hand, Number 1! And I’ll take you to that whole new world! _Your perfect utopia!”_

Nigel looked away from her and began to think. He didn’t really know what to do. If he let Dimentia make her world, their really might not be any more pain and suffering. But… the images of his friends and family burned in his mind. From going to the beach with Sector V, fishing with his dad, hanging out with Eva at Sector J, and, most of all, hanging out with Rachel.

“What’s the point of the perfect world if all my friends are dead?!” At this, the illusion vanished and turned back to Dimentia’s throne. “I’m NOT letting you destroy them and I WILL bring you down!” With that, he attempted to punch Dimentia, but she jumped back. Afterwards, she went over to the machine where a mechanical device, which looked like a scepter’s handle, lied on the ground. Dimentia stuck the Star Rod in this device and hooked several cords around it. Jirachi screamed as negative energy was transported from him to the Star Rod. Afterwards, she fired an electric blast at Nigel, making him scream in pain.

“You can’t keep this up forever, Number 1.”

“It’s NUMBUH 1!”

She shocked him again. “As your Supreme Leader, I order you to-”

“You are NOT my Supreme Leader AND NEVER WILL BE!”

This only made her more enraged. She zapped him even harder. “I tried being nice. I tried giving you immortality. I GAVE you excitement! New friends! But you’d rather be with THEM? Even when we’re so much better? If you care about your old friends so much, then why did you leave them in the first place?”

“Because… I didn’t know how much I cared about them… until after I left.”

“How sad.”

Nigel panted as he looked up a bit. “And the reason I left this time…” he began as he started to get up, “was because I was on a mission. A mission to stop YOU once and for all! And I WILL!”

Dimentia sighed. “Very well. If your friends are all that matters, I’ll let you _die_ with them.” With that, she rose her Star Rod and charged for another blast against the bald Brit. She was then stopped when she was hit by a barrage of dark balls.

“DARK VOID!” shouted a voice from above. Both Nigel and Dimentia recognized it.

“Darkrai!” Nigel said as none other than the Nightmare King himself flew down.

Darkrai slowly approached the Supreme Leader. “Hello… Dimentia.”

“What are you doing here, traitor?”

“I wouldn’t be much of a boyfriend if I didn’t come to see my girlfriend’s crowning moment.”

“W-Wait… WHAT?” Nigel gaped.

“You missed your chance to be with me long ago! Now, why are you really here?” Dimentia asked.

“To stop all this! Dimentia… Nigel is right. This really won’t change a thing! You’re destroying everything everyone loves just for something pointless!”

“SO WHAT? Everything’s just going to get old and die, anyway!”

“Dimentia, everything has to end eventually. But that’s why we all have to enjoy things in the time we have.”

“What about us? We didn’t have to end so early! But YOU wanted that! You cared about the balance more than us!”

“Dimentia, if there were no balance, there would’ve been no us! A spirit’s power is not something to be abused. When you misuse a god like Jirachi, you mess up the universe.”

“You of ALL people should’ve known the suffering I had to deal with!” she yelled with tears in her eyes.

“Dimentia… I do know. And I suffered, too. Not just by discrimination, but by watching you suffer, for eons without end. But your suffering can end right now! If only you stop all this!”

“I…I…” She wiped her tears and became more serious. _“I don’t care.”_ She blasted Darkrai, making him scream in pain as he was knocked against the wall. Dimentia slowly approached him and pointed her Star Rod. “Say good-bye, ex-king.”

“Hold on, Dimentia!” At this, Dimentia ceased charging and looked to Nigel, who aimed his gun at her. “Your battle’s with me!”

“Oh, please! You really think you can beat me with THAT old thing?”

“Oh, this?” he asked sarcastically. He then smashed his blaster against his knee and broke it in half. “Like I would use any piece of junk YOU created! I have something better!” With that, he reached into Numbuh 2’s backpack and pulled out a S.C.A.M.P.P.. “THIS!”

Dimentia stared at it for a moment and burst into laughter. “If you can’t damage me with one of my SUPERIOR weapons, what makes you think that’ll do you any good?” she asked in-between laughs. “You know what, tell you what! I’ll let you have the first hit!” She held her arms wide open. “Just fire away! See what damage it does!”

“Okay… here goes!” With that, he aimed the S.C.A.M.P.P. at her chest and shot. To Dimentia’s surprise, the shot knocked her back and burned a whole in her chest.

Dimentia barely got up, panting and grasping her chest. “But… how?… How can that scrap piece of junk… damage me?”

Nigel smirked. “Never underestimate Numbuh 2’s technical know-how!”

“I spit on your friend and his technical know-how! Very well.” With that, she touched her chest with the Star Rod and healed her wound. “Then let this fight determine the fate of Earth… and the universe.” (Play the “Final Boss 1” theme from _Sonic Colors_!)

 

_Boss fight: Dimentia_

Dimentia removed the Star Rod from its mechanical container and rose into the air. Nigel immediately fired his S.C.A.M.P.P. at her, but she was able to dodge. She fired more electric blasts from the Star Rod that Numbuh 1 barely dodged. She then conjured an energy ball with her left hand and tossed it at Nigel, but the Brit kicked it back up to her like a soccerball. Dimentia then knocked it back with her Star Rod, and the two started to knock it back-and-forth like a tennis ball.

Finally, Dimentia failed to hit it and took the shock, making her drop to the ground. Nigel took the time to shoot at her while she was stunned. Once the shock wore off of her, she quickly teleported. Nigel searched around for her and finally noticed her appear behind him. “Can you pierce THIS illusion?” She warped again, and Nigel soon found himself surrounded by four Dimentia clones. The clones moved around in random directions, attempting to confuse Nigel, while also firing magic at him.

Nigel tried shooting at each clone and finally found the real Dimentia after taking the other 3 out. That’s when Dimentia waved her Star Rod, making a box barrier grow below Nigel. Nigel noticed this and immediately ran before he could be trapped. As he ran, more barriers came from below him. Soon, a whole line of barriers came up along the path he ran. Dimentia snapped her fingers and made all the barriers explode, blowing Numbuh 1 back a bit and dropping his S.C.A.M.P.P..

Nigel rolled over and grabbed his S.C.A.M.P.P., then began firing more lasers at Dimentia. Dimentia flew high up in the dark sky of Zathura and started to wave her rod. “ZATHURA!” she shouted as strikes of lightning came down from the sky at Nigel. Nigel dodged the first bit, but what knocked back by the last one, making him drop his weapon again. That’s when another strike of lightning came down and destroyed his S.C.A.M.P.P..

As Dimentia came back down, Nigel ran over to his backpack and pulled out a G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A.. He fired mini gumballs at Dimentia like a machinegun, but she twirled her Star Rod and deflected all the shots. Nigel instantly stopped, knowing he probably wouldn’t get anywhere from there. Dimentia warped again and came back with 8 clones, which flew around in attempt to confuse Nigel more. As Nigel dodged the electric blasts, he charged up his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. and fired a soccerball-sized rainbow gumball at one of the clones. The ball bounced and vanquished the clone, then began to home in on all the others, destroying them.

Finally, the ball hit the real one and started to bounce off her repeatedly, making her slightly dizzy. Once the ball vanished, Dimentia shook the dizziness off. That’s when she waved the wand again. Nigel looked up to see fiery meteors coming down at him. He quickly ran out of the way, barely dodging the meteors, but the impact from one of them blew him back and made him drop his weapon. Like before, another meteor came down and crushed his G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A..

He then ran over to his backpack and pulled out a F.R.A.P.P.E.. Dimentia twirled her rod as Nigel fired blasts of ice at her, but the impact from all that ice caused the Star Rod to freeze, along with her hands. Nigel smirked as he fired more ice at Dimentia, eventually freezing her and making her drop to the ground. After a few seconds, Dimentia broke free and began to fly around the area at great speed. Soon, she came and shot right at Nigel, attempting to whack him with the Star Rod, but he made several quick dodges and eventually kicked her in the face.

Dimentia warped again and came back with one more clone. The clone warped and shot the F.R.A.P.P.E. out of his hand, while the real Dimentia shot and destroyed it. Nigel attempted to run and grab another weapon, but was held back when Dimentia shocked and stunned him. She continued to do so, while the clone slowly approached his bag of weapons. That’s when Darkrai, who was barely waking up from the knock-out, aimed his hand at the clone and shot at it with a dark ball. He fired another one at Dimentia and released Nigel before fainting.

While Dimentia looked over and approached Darkrai in rage, Nigel grabbed a B.A.J.O.O.K.A. and fired at her, covering her in orange juice. “AHHH! VITAMIN C!” she screamed, despising the taste of healthy juice. Nigel ran over and threw more punches and kicks, knocking her back. Dimentia quickly recovered and flew at Nigel, throwing more whacks with her Star Rod, but he swiftly avoided. Afterwards, he gave Dimentia another healthy dose of Vitamin C. She screamed as she blew the juice off of her.

She then waved her hand, making the spot where Nigel stood explode and knocked him back, making him drop his weapon. Dimentia waved another hand and made the weapon explode. Nigel quickly ran over to his backpack and took out the B.E.A.R.-H.U.G.G.A.H.. He shot at Dimentia, causing the bear to latch onto and hug her tight.

“AH! Stupid bear! Get off me!” she demanded, trying to shake the large bear off.

“I’ll still never understand how that thing fits in my pocket.” Nigel said. Dimentia shook the bear off, but that’s when Nigel leaped in the air and came down tackling her, making her drop the Star Rod as it spun and slid across the room. The two exchanged glances and immediately raced for it. The two grabbed it at the same time and began fighting over it.

“ERRGH! Give me that!” Nigel demanded, trying to pull it away.

“NO!” Dimentia pushed him back and took the Star Rod. Afterwards, she fired at the backpack, destroying it.

“NO!” Nigel screamed as smoke rose from where it was.

“Now, you have no chance at winning!”

“I can still stop you!”

“How? I don’t know how those pieces of scrap damaged me, but they’re gone now! And soon, this adult-filled universe will be, too!” As she said this, Nigel heard Zathura give a loud roar and the whole area started to shake. “YES! It’s already happening! Now, Zathura! Destroy this cosmos! Destroy everything! THEN LET US GO TO THAT WHOLE NEW WORLD!”

“No…” was all Nigel could say. (End song.)

**KND Moonbase**

All of Nigel’s friends on Earth had gathered in the Moonbase (including Lizzie for some reason, who, along with the other animals, reverted back to their normal forms after the magic wore off). They felt the area shake as they watched the darkness of Zathura gather in the sky. “Numbuh 5’s got a bad feeling about this.”

“Lee… I’m scared.” Sonya said as she held Lee’s hand.

“You think he’s going to make it?” Kade asked.

“He has to. Otherwise, it’s over.” Eva replied.

“He’s going to win.” Rachel said surely. “If I know Nigel, he’s not one to give up so easily. He’s not going to let the universe go down like this. Especially us.”

Eva nodded with a confident expression. “Yeah! After all my cousin’s been through, I don’t think he’d want to get beaten by a circus freak like her!”

“Come on, Nigie! Show that clown who’s boss!” Lizzie cheered.

“Come on, ya stoopid boy! Or Ay’m gonna kill ya in the afterlife!” Fanny yelled.

“Wow, Fanny, I can’t believe you’re cheering for a boy against a girl.” Patton smirked.

“The only time I do that is when that ‘girl’ happens to be destroying the universe.”

“Makes sense to me.”

**Supreme Leader Dimentia’s Throne Room**

Nigel was worried how he could win without his weapons. As he panted from exhaustion, he looked to see Jirachi glowing with light.

“What are you…” Dimentia began as she turned to see him glowing as well. “What…What’s happening?”

“I’ll tell you what’s happening.” Darkrai said, getting up while Jirachi glowed even brighter. “The positive energy from Nigel’s friends is being transported to Jirachi. The light inside him is awakening to fight off the negativity. Your power is through, Dimentia!”

“But that’s impossible! He can’t…” Dimentia screamed as Jirachi glowed to full brightness and, eventually, shattered the dark barrier surrounding him. The light dimmed down as Nigel and Dimentia gazed at the glowing Jirachi.

“I understand everything now.” Jirachi stated. “Adults ARE a part of the universe. They DO protect kids and they DO teach them right from wrong! While we may not realize it, they’re doing good. It’s just evil ones like the Tallest we have to watch out for. I won’t let you destroy them!”

“Hmph. And just what do you plan to do? I have the Star Rod! I control you!”

“Maybe. But you don’t control him.” he replied, pointing to Numbuh 1.

“Huh?”

“Numbuh 1… You have to stop this. You have to stop Dimentia. Here… maybe this will help you.” Jirachi closed his eyes and his ribbons began to glow. He focused all the light into one spot and slowly formed it into a glowing golden Wisp shaped like a star.

“It’s… a Wisp.” Nigel said.

“Not just any Wisp.” Darkrai replied. “The Golden Wisp. The Wisp of Light. A Wisp made from all of Jirachi’s positive energy. I… never thought I’d see with my own eye.”

The Light Wisp spun around and shot right into Nigel. As he felt the Golden Color Power coming on, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Galaxia Sword hilt. A bolt of lightning sprouted from the hilt and formed into the actual sword. Nigel made a few swings with it as a golden cape, similar to Jirachi’s (only not cut in half), appeared along his back.

“Use the sword to lighten Dimentia’s darkness.” Jirachi instructed. “Good luck, Numbuh 1.” With that, Jirachi was surrounded by the dark barrier again.

“Oh, YEAH! Now, THIS is cool!” Nigel exclaimed. “You’re in trouble now, Dimentia!”

“…You may have your little Light Wisp, but I have all the dark Nega Wisps right here! And it’s time I put that darkness to the test!”

“Hey! What are you-” Nigel began as Dimentia stuck the Star Rod back into its mechanical container and hooked the cords up. Afterwards, she shot right into the dark barrier with Jirachi. “NO!” Nigel screamed as the dark energy was being transported to Dimentia, who screamed as the area shook tremendously.

“COME! LET’S GO!” Darkrai shouted, and with that, he and Nigel flew out of the throne.

Meanwhile, Star Wolf and the others were back in the hangar, preparing to board their ships. “Well, that should be all of them.” Dib said.

In a few seconds, Nigel and Darkrai came flying in. “Come on! We have to get out of here!” Nigel shouted.

“Dude, where’d you get the cool sword?” Dib asked.

“Later, Dib. Now, let’s move!” With that, they all hopped in their ships and took off.

They flew a good distance away from the base just in time to see a ball of darkness growing and engulfing the station. _“Yes…”_ said a distant, echoey voice. _“YES…”_ it continued as the base was almost fully engulfed. _“The power…”_ Soon, the base was swallowed completely and the ball of darkness made a huge explosion. _“THE ABSOLUTE… POWER!!!!”_ The explosion cleared and what they saw gave them great shock: an enormous god-like being, the size of the base, appeared before their eyes.

The being had Jirachi’s face, only black, with a mouth similar to the Nega Wisps’, and Dimentia’s purple and yellow jester’s hat. Its body wore Dimentia’s purple and yellow striped shirt, which slowly spinned around its body, giant chain arms, linking the body to giant gloved hands, chains along the bottom, serving as legs and linking the body to black shoes, and several dark tentacles sprouted from the bottom.

 _“THE UNIVERSE IS MINE TO COMMAND! TO CONTROL!”_ Dimentia roared. Her voice sounded in unison with Jirachi’s.

“Whoa! What is that thing?” Nigel exclaimed.

“Dimentia has mixed her power with Jirachi and the Nega Wisps and made herself super-dimensional.” Darkrai replied.

_“NOW, I WILL SHOW YOU THE TRUE FORCE OF MY DIMENSIONAL BENDING!”_

“Not so fast, Dimentia!” Darkrai announced. “You aren’t the only one who has the power of a god! It’s time I showed you the true power of Nightmares! EXOR!” At his call, his sword shot from a distance and into his hand. “I CALL UPON THE FORCES OF NIGHTMARES! RAHHHHH!” Nigel flew away as the Nightmare King was being surrounded by darkness. He then curled up into a ball with small, white stars, which began to spin rapidly. The ball grew and grew until it was the size of Dimentia’s form. “I AM… HOLY NIGHTMARE!”

The Nightmare King was now a god-like being with a dark cloak with stars, big hands with long fingernails, a big nose and two big chins, goggle eyes with stars inside, and horns. Inside his cloak was a real vision of space itself. “Now, Numbuh 1: are you ready to decommission her once and for all?”

“Yes…Yes I am! Kids Next Door: BATTLE STATIONS!” With that, Nigel, Nightmare, the GKND, plus Star Wolf, went to battle. (Play “Final Boss 2” from _Sonic Colors_!)

 

_Final boss: Nega Dimentia_

Nega Dimentia conjured a magic barrier around her, shaped like a star that was neon-colored. Nigel, Nightmare, and the others charged at her. “Okay, team! Ready to give Dimentia her decommissioning?” Nigel asked.

“Heck, YEAH!” Ava cheered.

“Then let’s go!” As they charged toward Dimentia, she fired several meteors and giant Nega Wisps at them.

 _“DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?”_ Dimentia fired more Nega Wisps at them, but the team was much faster. The ones that were coming for Nigel ended up being sliced in half by his Galaxia Sword.

“How are we going to get through this shield?” Dib asked.

“Leave that to me!” Darkrai said as he drifted over to the side of the barrier.

 _“HEY! WHAT ARE YOU-”_ Dimentia tried to say as Darkrai cut the side of the barrier and tore it open. He swiftly slipped inside just before the barrier closed.

“I’ll distract her! You disable the shield! Try attacking the dark tentacles!” As Holy Nightmare and Dimentia engaged in battle inside the barrier, Nigel and the others looked to see the tentacles with Nega Wisp faces sticking their heads out of the barrier.

“You heard him, team. Attack those tentacles!”

“FOR WAFFLES!” GIR shouted as he was flying around outside himself.

 _“DON’T THINK IT WILL BE SO EASY!”_ Dimentia shouted as one of the tentacles fired mini stars at them. Nigel knocked them all away with his sword, while the others barrel-rolled. Nigel flew up to that tentacle and struck several blows with his sword until the tentacle vanished into light.

 _“AH!”_ Dimentia cried. _“MAGIBLOTS! MOTHER NEEDS YOU! CRUSH THOSE FOOLS!”_ At her command, more Magiblot ships sprouted from her and phased through the barrier, going after Nigel’s teammates and Star Wolf.

“Gah, stupid blobs! Think you can take me?” Wolf asked as he chased after and shot a few ships. At the same time, Jake was being chased by some, but he fired some bombs from his tail and scattered them. Afterwards, he wrapped himself around a few and crushed their ships.

“Yeah! That’s it!” Nightmare cheered.

 _“NO YOU DON’T!”_ With that, Dimentia took her hands and stuck them through Darkrai’s chest, making him scream in pain.

“DARKRAI!” Nigel yelled. As a response, he flew over to a nearby tentacle and threw more slices at it, but the tentacle quickly retreated back into the barrier. “Hey, no fair.” Nigel then looked to see Darkrai floating by Dimentia unconscious, and noticed her staring at him. “Uh-oh.” He gulped.

Dimentia waved her hand at him, and Nigel looked back to see more giant meteors flying straight at him. Thinking fast, Numbuh 1 flew around as fast as lightning and was able to dodge each one. “Phew.” He breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked and gulped again when he saw Dimentia open her mouth and charge a laser. In an instant, she fired an enormous laser through the shield and attempted to hit him, but he was able to avoid.

As the laser stopped, Darkrai finally recovered and struck Dimentia again with his sword, Exor. That’s when the tentacle Nigel was after rose from the shield, in which he took the time to strike and destroy it. “Only five more to go!” Marine exclaimed.

“Yeah, but these scum are getting to be quite a handful.” Wolf said as more Magiblots came.

“Just keep fighting!” Nigel ordered as more giant Nega Wisps came his way.

As Kweeb was circling the barrier fighting Magiblots in his hovercar, he noticed one of the tentacles sticking out and shot at it, successfully destroying it. “I GOT ONE!” he declared.

 _“NO!”_ Dimentia yelled, shaking Darkrai off of her against the barrier and stunning him. As Nigel was cutting more Nega Wisps, the tentacle he was above and waiting for shot out and caught him in its mouth. _“NUMBER 1. WHY…WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE ADULTS ARE INFERIOR MONSTERS? WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES TRULY DESTROYING THE UNIVERSE? THE ONLY WAY TO BE RID OF THEM IS IF I DO WHAT I MUST!”_

“I’m not doing this so much to save the adults. But more for my friends!” Nigel shot back as he cut off the tentacle trapping him, destroying it.

_“ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU WOULD RATHER GROW OLD AND DIE THAN BE IMMORTAL AND STAY A KID FOREVER?”_

“As long as I can be with my friends, a mortal life is worth it!” With that, he chopped off another tentacle and destroyed it.

_“BUT YOUR TIMES WITH THEM WON’T LAST. SOON, YOU’LL ALL JUST BE DECOMMISSIONED!”_

“I’d rather be decommissioned than live with the guilt of letting you kill them!”

Dimentia found herself being attacked again by the Holy Nightmare. _“GAH! YOU’RE INFERIOR! JUST LIKE YOUR PITIFUL HUMANS!”_

“Mayhap, but the very least he is not a killer!” shouted Luvbi as she shot by and scratched another tentacle with her wing, destroying it as well.

_“OOF! AFTER I GAVE YOU ALL IMMORTALITY, THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY YOUR LEADER?”_

“What kind of leader uses her operatives for her own gain?” Ava retorted.

Nega Dimentia launched more giant Nega Wisps in Nigel’s direction, but he was able to fight them off one by one. Once he was finished, Nigel noticed the final tentacle sticking out of the barrier. “Your barrier is toast, Dimentia!” With that, he shot over and stabbed the final tentacle, vanquishing it.

_“NO! MY PRECIOUS SHIELD!”_

“Who’s crying now, Dimentia?” Nigel yelled.

“You did it, Nigel!” Ava exclaimed.

“It’s too early to celebrate. LOOK!” As Wolf said this, more Magiblot ships came out of Dimentia.

 _“MAGIBLOTS! SEND THOSE FOOLS TO OBLIVION- AH!”_ Dimentia was struck by Darkrai once again as she gave her command.

“These fools are quite dedicated.” Panther stated. He heard a scream and looked to see Ava being chased. “AVA!” He pursued the Magiblot ships and shot them one by one, taking them out. “Are you okay, my dear?”

“Yeah… Thanks, Panther.”

At the same time, Dib was shooting Magiblots, while also being chased. As he struggled to get away, he was soon rescued by Rattlesnake Jake. “Wow. Thanks, Jake.”

“Don’t thank me, yet.”

Zim was still flying in the Arwing, with GIR on top, as they were coming to more Magiblots, while also being chased. “GIR! Take the ones on our tail out!”

“SIR, YESSIR!” With that, GIR flew to the ones chasing Zim and shot them down with his missiles, leaving Zim to shoot down the ones in front without trouble.

“HEH HEH HEH HEH! Feel the wrath of ZIM!”

While the others were fighting off Magiblots, the Holy Nightmare was still striking Dimentia with his sword. “DIMENTIA! YOU HAVE TO STOP!”

Nega Dimentia grunted. _“NEVER!”_ With that, the points from her jester hat wrapped around the Nightmare God. She squeezed him tight as he struggled to escape.

“DARKRAI!” Nigel shouted. “GUYS! HELP HIM!”

“We’re on it, Nigel!” Ava said as she flew to one of the points and shot and destroyed it.

“Me next!” Dib said as he flew to the next one and took it out.

“Saveth some for me!” Luvbi exclaimed as her angel wings scratched and destroyed the next one.

“Hope she likes the smell of burnt hat!” Kweeb said as he shot a Powuh Shot and burned the next one.

“Take this you heartless circus drongo!” Marine shouted as she fired at the next point.

“Here! Have some of this!” With that, the last point was taken out by Zim.

“There goes your hat, Dimentia!” Nigel exclaimed.

 _“NO! I WON’T BE STOPPED THAT EASY!”_ She charged her mega laser and fired straight at Darkrai, who held his sword in front for defense.

“DARKRAI! HANG ON!” With that, Nigel shot in front of Darkrai and pointed Galaxia at the laser. Unbelievably, the laser was blocked off by Nigel’s sword, despite the laser being much bigger. As Nigel gave it his all to hold the laser back, he could hear the voices of his friends and family.

 _“COME ON, NUMBUH 1!”_ shouted Hoagie.

 _“YOU CAN DO IT, NUMBUH 1!”_ cheered Kuki.

 _“DO IT, MATE!”_ shouted Wally.

 _“GO, NUMBUH 1!”_ cheered Abby.

 _“DO IT, UNO!”_ yelled Harvey.

 _“DO IT, YA STOOPID BOY!”_ yelled Fanny.

 _“GO, NIGIE!”_ cheered Lizzie.

 _“YOU CAN DO IT, COUSIN!”_ Eva cheered.

 _“COME ON, OLD BOY!”_ cheered Monty.

 _“Uh… Hello? Uh, ECHO!”_ shouted a mysterious voice.

 _“Uh, Patrick, I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.”_ replied another voice.

_“Oh… What is this, anyway?”_

_“I BELIEVE IN YOU, NIGEL!”_

At the sound of Rachel’s voice, his became more dedicated. With all his strength, he used his sword and pushed hard against the laser, forcing it back toward Dimentia. Afterwards, Holy Nightmare came forth and sliced right through her with Exor.

_“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!”_

“MY TURN!” exclaimed Nigel. “WISPS!” At his cue, one of each colored Wisp flew out from the distance and into his sword.

“ROCKET!”

“LASER!”

“DRILL!”

“SPIKE!”

“FLAME!”

“SHRINK!”

“CLOAK!”

“CUBE!”

“HOVER!”

“SPEED!”

“FINAL COLOR STRIKE!” His sword shined bright with all colors and he began to shoot toward Dimentia’s direction. “Lesson learned, Dimentia.” With all his might, Nigel Uno pierced through Nega Dimentia’s chest. “Never mess with Planet Earth!”

 _“AAAAAHHHHH! NO! I’M NOTHING… WITHOUT MY YOUTH! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”_ As the goddess screamed, parts of her began to explode and she finally fell straight into Zathura.

As Dimentia fell, cracks of light appeared on her body, and Zathura began to roar in despair. “EVERYONE, GET OUT!” Nigel ordered as everyone immediately evacuated the area. Nega Dimentia’s body began to crack more light until… (End song.)

**Moonbase**

Everyone on Moonbase looked up to the starry sky to see a big, bright star light up the area where Zathura used to be. Everyone cheered knowing that Numbuh 1 just saved them. Fanny and Patton embraced each other in a hug. After realizing they were hugging, the two blushed and pushed each other off.

“Uh… So, Fanny! Seeing as how a boy not only saved the universe, but defeated an all-powerful girl more or less, does this mean you’ll have a little more respect for us?”

“Not on your life, ya stoopid boy! Nigel, however, I have slightly more respect for.”

Sonya, Lee, and Paddy cheered, then noticed Harvey looking away. “Well, Harvey?” said Sonya.

“What?”

“Are you okay with Numbuh 1 dating your sister now?”

“Pfft. Big deal. So he saved the universe. Anyone could do that.”

His team exchanged disbelieving looks. But when they weren’t looking, Harvey glanced up at the sky and gave a small smile.

Rachel and Eva stood together as they stared at the sky. “Boy, who would’ve thought my cousin of all people would save the universe?”

“Not so big a loser as you thought, huh Numbuh 10?” Rachel smirked.

“Hey, I never said he was a loser! Just a workaholic! And one heck of a workaholic at that.”

“Well, I can’t say I disagree with that.”

Kade looked up at the large star and approached Eva. “Hey, Eva?”

“Yeah?”

“Since the universe is saved and all… there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Well… it’s something I wanted to tell you for awhile, but, you see, I’ve always…”

“Hm?” she raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“Uh…you know what? I’ll just wait until the sequel.”

“Okay. Take your time.” Eva complied, although she had a feeling what he was gonna say.


	30. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The universe is saved. It's time to go home.

**Okay, everybody. The main story is over, so it’s time for the epilogue. Here we go.**

****

**_

Chapter 30: Welcome Home

_**

****

Nigel was passed out and floating around in the brightness that was left by Nega Dimentia’s explosion, surrounded by each of the Wisps, except the Nega ones. The Wisps looked to see Jirachi appear out of a rift in space. That’s when the Golden Wisp exited Nigel’s body and went back into Jirachi, restoring his power. Jirachi then looked at the passed-out Numbuh 1 and gave a worried expression. “He must really be tired…”

 _“Yes, but he is still alive.”_ said a female, echoey voice. _“I’ll take him to safety.”_ A large, pink tentacle reached out and carried him away, with Jirachi following.

**Star Haven**

When Nigel awoke, he found himself on Star Haven, surrounded by his GKND friends, Star Wolf, Darkrai, Gabe, Jeremy (still in their human forms), and Jirachi. All the other GKND operatives were here as well. “Guys… what happened?”

“You totally kicked Dimentia’s butt!” Ava cheered.

“It was the coolest thing EVER!” Kweeb jumped.

“Yeah! And look!” At Dib’s cue, Nigel looked to see the army of Nega Wisps lighting up and turning back to their regular colors.

“At long last,” Darkrai said, “I’ve repaid my debt.”

_“Yes, and the Fountain of Dreams is once again filled with light. The evil has gone from Galaxia.”_

“Huh? Who said that?” Nigel asked as he searched for the source of the voice. Before their very eyes, a gigantic pink Wisp with three eyes, several antennas, and four tentacles appeared.

“MOM!” Gabe and Jeremy exclaimed.

“Mom?” questioned Nigel.

_“I am Mother Wisp. The queen of all Wisps. Thank you, Nigel Uno, for saving my children. When Dimentia began her plans eons ago, I was transformed into a monster like my children and was held in the deepest confines of the base. But now Dimentia and the Irkens are defeated and my children are free. Thank you, Nigel.”_

“Uhhh… you’re welcome, I guess. But where are the Star Spirits?”

 _“They are here, along with the rest of the Stars.”_ Piles of dust formed into Star Beings, and the Star Spirits appeared as well, with Eldstar holding the Star Rod.

“Star Spirits!” Jirachi exclaimed, flying over to them.

“Ho ho!” laughed Eldstar. “That was one heck of a ride, was it not?”

“Now that the darkness is gone from the fountain, the Stars of Galaxia are free to grant wishes once again.” followed Misstar.

“Star Spirits…” began Jirachi, frowning shamefully. “I’m sorry for what I did. I shouldn’t have let Dimentia trick me.”

“It’s okay, Jirachi.” replied Eldstar. “If anyone’s to blame, it is us.”

“Because we kept you in that stone for so long, you had little knowledge of the outside world.” followed Mamar.

“Dimentia knew this, and that’s how she was able to trick you.” explained Skolar.

“Which is why we’re not putting you back in that stone.” said Muskular.

“You aren’t?”

“It’s true, we did keep you in there to protect you, but keeping you from the universe also kept you from knowledge.” Misstar explained.

“Yes, and it is important to have knowledge, so that is why we want you to be free and explore the cosmos.” Klevar finished. “Just ask Uxie! She knows. She invented knowledge!”

“YAAAY!” cheered Jirachi.

“But there is one minor problem.” Kalmar stated.

“What’s that?”

“As long as you share a connection with the Star Rod, you’re in danger of being misused again.”

“Oh… So, what do we do?”

“No reason to worry.” Eldstar replied. “Like Dimentia said, your qualities are very similar to that of a genie. The Star Rod binds to you like a lamp, but if you were wished free, that bind would break.”

“’Guess that’s my call.” Numbuh 1 said as he went over and took the Star Rod from Eldstar. “Jirachi, I wish-”

“WAIT!” Eldstar stopped. “Like a genie, if Jirachi is wished free, he will no longer be able to grant wishes. Or immortality.”

Ava, Kweeb, and Luvbi exchanged worried glances. “Does this mean we’ll turn to dust?” Ava asked.

“Not quite.” Muskular replied. “Since your childhoods were wasted serving Dimentia, we’ve decided to give everyone a second chance. Here…” The Star Spirits formed tiny energy balls, which flew inside each of the GKND operatives. “There. Now, you’ll begin to age like normal again as if you never gained immortality.”

“And since each of you helped save the universe, we’ll let each of you have one wish before you set Jirachi free.” Eldstar said to the heroes.

“Can you… change Glomour back to the way it was before? I mean, before the Irkens took over?” Ava asked with a look of regret.

“I’m certain such measures are already being taken care of. But just in case…” With that, Eldstar waved the Star Rod and sent a magical comet across space, likely to Glomour’s direction.

“My turn.” Dib said. “I want the people of Doomsdale to respect me!”

“After your actions during the invasion, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that.” Muskular replied.

“Pray, my only wish is to meet mine one true love.” Luvbi said with a dreamy smile. “Dost not have to be a prince. Long as he is proud and true.”

“Hehe, I just want to live happily ever after with Ava.” Kweeb said with a blush.

“Hm hm, we’ll see what happens.” Ava smirked.

“I ‘ave a wish, too!” Marine spoke up. “I want to have GREAT adventures, and find the greatest treasure in the worlds!”

“And I wish to be accepted by the humans!” Zim exclaimed. “After living there for so long, I’ve gotten kind of used to it.”

“Plus he has a crush on my sister.” Dib mentioned.

“HEY!”

“If you’re going to live there, then we’ll have to make you age like a regular human.” With that, Eldstar put an energy ball in Zim.

“What about you guys?” Jirachi asked Star Wolf.

“No thanks. We don’t believe in wishes. Wishes that don’t backfire, anyway.” Wolf replied. “We need to get back to Sargasso. The boys will be missing us. But first…” They approached Numbuh 1. “You’re not so bad, Baldy.”

“I’m looking forward to fighting you in the future.” Panther followed.

“You’re even better than Star Fox.” Leon said.

Jake got closer, bowed his head, and tilted his hat with his tail. “Ah tip mah hat to you, Uno. One legend to another.” Nigel smiled and bowed as well.

“And just for heck’s sake,” Wolf smiled, shaking Uno’s hand, “I’ll let my grudge against you slide.”

“G-Grudge? What grudge?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He winked. “Ask your father, he might know.”

Afterwards, the Star Wolf team hopped back in their ships and took off. “Well, I guess the last wish goes to me.” Nigel said. “And I wish for Jirachi’s freedom!” As he spoke, Nigel raised the Star Rod, which began to glow, as did Jirachi. In a matter of seconds, the blue ribbons on Jirachi vanished, and the Star Rod dropped to the ground and faded out.

“But what about the fountain?” Ava asked.

 _“As long as people are happy, the fountain will flow with light.”_ Mother Wisp replied.

“I’m heading back to Nightmare Land.” Darkrai said. “But first, I have a wish for you, Nigel.”

“What is it?”

Darkrai floated aside as Katie approached. “I want you to take Katie with you. Give her a home where she belongs. I’m certain she will make plenty of friends down on Earth.”

“Alright, sure! I’ve always wanted a sister!” At this, Katie ran up and embraced Nigel in a hug. She then turned back to Darkrai.

“I’ll miss you, Darkrai.”

“Don’t worry.” He smirked. “When it’s time to scare Nigel, we can do it together.” With that, Darkrai shot back into the sky.

“Not looking forward to that.” Nigel gulped.

 _“Now, we must be heading back as well.”_ Mother Wisp said. _“Now that the Irkens are free, we can begin anew with them. Are you ready to go, you two?”_ she asked Jeremy and Gabe.

“Uhhh, actually, we don’t want to go back to Wisp.” Infinity said.

“We’ve been on Earth for a while, too, and we’re kind of used to it!” Gabe followed. “We have a lot of great friends down there. Well, _I_ do, don’t know about him.” Infinity glared at him.

“So, can we stay in these forms and live on Earth?”

 _“If that is what you wish, I won’t stop you. But I must head back to Wisp and help rebuild it. Good-bye, my children.”_ With that, Mother Wisp flew off as well.

“Well now, I believe it’s time to send everyone else here back.” Eldstar said. A swarm of large stars flew down from the sky and next to each operative. “These Warp Stars will get you back to your planets safely. Just say where you want to go, and it’ll take you there.” The other operatives did as told and took off on the Warp Stars.

“Then it’s time to go.” Nigel said as he and his friends got on. “But just one more thing.” He turned to the Star Spirits. “Why is it that Dimentia’s galactic technology couldn’t hurt her, but Numbuh 2’s inventions could?”

“Ah, a good question.” Eldstar replied. “I believe there is more to your 2x4 technology than there appears. Your very treehouses were created by a powerful spirit, and I’m certain her powers reside in your items by extension.”

“A spirit? What kind of spirit?”

“Her name is Celebi, and her powers match Jirachi’s.” Misstar replied. “I believe that is why Dimentia was damaged by them.”

“Hmm… That’s interesting.”

“Will there be anything else?” Eldstar asked.

“Nope. I think it’s time for us to go. Okay, Warp Star: take us to Earth!” And they all screamed as the Warp Stars took off at high speeds.

**KND Moonbase**

When Nigel awoke, he found himself in Moonbase Hospital. He held onto his head as he got out of bed. “Man, what a rough ride.”

“What’s up, Numbuh 1?” He looked as Abby came in.

“Numbuh 5? What happened?”

“We saw a bunch of Stars crashing down and went to check them out. We met up with your new friends and found you out cold.”

“I guess I still have to get used to stuff like that.”

“Mm-hm. Now, come on! Everyone’s waiting for you!” With that, he followed Abby to the Moonbase Bridge, where a large party seemed to be taking place. Everyone was there, including Nigel’s new friends, his parents, Tak and FIR, and Katie. There was also a giant ribbon over the party snacks that read _Hooray for Nigel!_

When everyone saw their hero come in, they immediately gave cheers. Eva and Lizzie ran up and embraced him in hugs. “Nice going, Nigel! You’re a pretty cool cousin!”

“Uh, thanks, Eva!”

“Oh, Nigie! I missed you SO much!”

“Easy there, Lizzie! We’re just friends now. There’s actually one person I really want to see.” As he said this, the crowd made an opening, and Nigel smiled brightly at Rachel on the other side. The two ran to each other excitedly and shared a kiss.

The kiss lasted a few minutes until Nigel broke away and spoke. “I don’t know about you Rachel, but I like this ending better.”

Rachel chuckled. “I would imagine that most people would.”

“I say, Nigel must’ve had quite the adventure.” Mrs. Uno stated.

“If he thinks so, he should hear what I’ve been through!” Monty replied.

“Oh, that’ll just bore him, dear!”

“Well, now that that’s over,” Nigel began, “let’s have some snacks!” Everyone cheered as they went over to the snack table, where GIR and FIR were already eating.

Tak and Zim exchanged glances. “GIR/FIR!” The two robots exchanged glances and stopped while everyone laughed.

The mariachi band stood in one corner, playing their music for the final time. “And so, Nigel was reunited with his friends on Earth and peace returned to the universe. After seeing a moment as touching as this, we all must stop and wonder, how long until the sequel? Depends on the author.”

“When is Nigel going to die?”

“He has to at some point. It’s in the script.” The band leader looked at a paper.

One of his bandmates looked at it. “That’s for a different story!”

“It is? Wow, I am way off.”

As everyone continued to celebrate, they heard an explosion and looked to the entrance. Rap music played as The Rhymer came walking in with his henchmen.

“Good day, everybody! The Rhymer is BACK, so no time to SLACK! It’s time to take out this base from ceiling to floor, then no more Kids Next Door!”

Nigel only smirked and said proudly, “Leave this to me.” He approached The Rhymer. “Hey, Rhymer.” He began as he took out an orange. “Care for an orange?”

The Rhymer looked at it with horror. “No… Nothing… rhymes… WITH ORANGES!”

“Yeah, except for door hinges!”

“But… that’s impossible! NOOOOOOO!” And with that, everyone stared confused as he vanished in a freaky explosion.

“Why didn’t we think of that?” Wally asked.

The mariachi band stayed silent themselves until the leader spoke. “Well, that’s all, everybody! Here are the credits!” (Play “Speak With Your Heart” from _Sonic Colors_!)

**_Operation: GALACSIA_ : Cast:**

**Benjamin Diskin as _Nigel Uno_ and _Hoagie P. Gilligan_**

**Lauren Tom as _Kuki Sanban_**

**Dee Bradley Baker as _Wallabee Beatles_**

**Cree Summer as _Abigail Lincoln_**

Wally and Marine started hanging out a lot, making Kuki jealous and want to spy on them. She was relieved to hear Wally say to Marine that he had a secret crush on Kuki.

**Rachael MacFarlane as _Rachel T. McKenzie_**

**Jennifer Hale as _Fanny Fulbright_ and _Luvbi_ , and _Mother Wisp_**

**Matt Levin as _Patton Drilovsky_**

**Tara Strong as _Ava_ , _Eva Roberts_ , _Harvey McKenzie_ , _Katie_ , and _Marine the Raccoon_**

Harvey and Luvbi went on their date. It didn’t work out, and they agreed to just be friends. Just as well, Zim began to date Dib’s sister, Gaz.

**Rickey Collins as _Kweeb_ and _Kade Jackson_**

Kade kept trying to bring up the courage to confess his feelings for Eva. Maybe he would wait a few stories.

**Janice Kawaye as _Sonya_ and _Lee_**

Sonya and Lee kept the secret of how Sonya was able to change Lee back from a frog on her own.

**Akiko Koumoto as _Dimentia Z. Winkiebottom_**

**Wally Wingert as _Tallest Red_ and _Cubot_**

**Kevin McDonald as _Tallest Purple_**

Orbot and Cubot were taken in by the Nightmare King and were eventually sold to a fat man with a mustache.

**Richard Steven Horvitz as _Zim_**

**Andy Berman as _Dib Membrane_**

Francis built and started playing with a Numbuh 10 robot.

**Grant Goodeve as _Wolf O’Donnell_**

**David Skully as _Leon Powalski_ and _Panther Caroso_**

**Bill Nighy as _Rattlesnake Jake_**

Joey, Mushi, Tommy, and Shaunie spent the last few days complaining how they weren’t in the story at all. They hoped to have bigger appearances.

**Bill Rogers as _Darkrai II_**

**Kerry Williams as _Jirachi_**

**Mike Henry as _Cleveland Brown_ and _Consuela_**

Cleveland and Father became friends and discussed their hatred of the Kids Next Door.

**Maurice LaMarche as _Father_**

**Billy West as _Herbie MayHence_ and _Francis Powalski_**

**Grey DeLisle as _Lizzie Devine_**

Ripto and Gnasty Gnorc started to discuss ‘the Lizzie problem’ and also became quick friends with the Lizzie haters of FanFiction.

**Tom Kenny as _Ice King_ , _Spyro the Dragon_ , and _Spongebob Squarepants_**

**Dan Green as _Customer Service_**

**Dave Wittenberg as _Numbuh 74.239_**

**Phil LaMarr as _Numbuh Infinity_**

Numbuh Infinity is depressed that he never confessed his feelings for Dimentia.

**Kevin Michael Richardson as _Malladus Uno_**

**Original _KND_ show owned by Tom Warburton.**

**Main gameplay developer: Insomniac Games**

**Published by Archive of Our Own**

**Presented by Gamewizard2008**

**End transmission…**

**FINALLY! MY FIRST STORY IS DONE! Man, I’m glad I got up the courage to write this! This certainly turned out much better than that other idea I had. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this, and my reviewers, arissaprincess321, Dynamite Girl, and nightmaster000. I will see you all… Huh? Whuh? What is this?** (Pause song.)

 

**Warning! Warning! Powerful enemy detected!**

In a dark, fiery chamber deep below the Earth’s crust, a vicious demon lies chained to the walls, his eyes closed. His demonic eyes opened and looked to the ceiling. Visions of Numbuh 1 playing with all his friends played before the demon’s eyes.

“So, the young prince is finally reunited with his feeble, mortal friends.” he said to himself. “Bah! I hate mortals! They’re so weak and insignificant! Especially those snot-nosed kids who have been foiling my clan’s plans for world conquest in the past hundreds of years. But they never could’ve done so without the help of those good-for-nothing gods. Heck, those kids never would have beaten that incarnation of darkness without the help of the Nightmare King. Or perhaps Dimentia lost because, even with her magic, she was just a mortal, and was therefore too weak to use Jirachi’s power. Still, I don’t understand why the gods care so much for these mortals, even when they know they are FAR superior. I guess, in reality, even _they_ are weak. Not like us demons. Of course, I shouldn’t complain so much about mortals. Dimentia’s plans for spreading misery served me well in the past million years. Her intentions were just what I needed!”

At that instant, the vision of a silhouette of a short man appeared on the ceiling. _“Is everything ship-shape down there, Your Majesty?”_ he asked in an Irish accent.

“Everything in this infernal prison is just as it was: HELL! Is everything going according to plan up there, Cole?”

_“Nyee hee hee! Everything’s BRILLIANT up here! We’ll soon be ready for the Day of the Demon long before it comes!”_

“Excellent! Those mortals will never know what’s coming! But for now, go release Dr. Facilier from his cell. If he knows what’s good for him, he won’t mess up again! And you as well.”

 _“Oh, rest assured, Sire! I, Chancellor Cole Fulbright, will not fail you!”_ With that, Cole left, leaving the demon in his prison to laugh.

“Soon, I will be free from this fiery prison, and the Sanzu River will rise! Then I, Malladus Uno, will take my revenge on those mortals and restore my family’s honor! AH HA HA HA! MWA HA HA HA!”

**Coming soon: _Operation: ANCESTOR_.**


End file.
